Putting a horse down with a nine to the head: veterinarians call it euthanasia but it wasn't anywhere near that pleasant for Ian Jones the owner of the horse. Jones is the owner of Gidyap Horse and Carriage which does tours around the city. He today explained that 'Whitey' as he was called, had been stolen on Monday and he made a police report, only to find that it was too late, Whitey had already been put down. Jones today told us that he's been having his horses stolen, and police have been ignoring him.
Ian Jones,
"Previous times when our horses went missing we attempted to report it to the police, like three weeks or so we found two young men all the way at six miles bridge with two of the horses. We went to CIB and CIB sent us to Patrol Branch and Patrol Branch sent us back up to CIB and CIB sent us back to Patrol Branch. I got tired of it. Both Patrol Branch and CIB officers were not familiar with Cattle Theft Act and I didn't want to be the one to quote it to them and make them feel like I was disrespecting them. So I just left it as is.
The only thing that upset me was that you guys said last that the horse died as a result of neglect from the owners and that is an incorrect statement. I would never leave my horse out there like that. I've been doing this business for three years now and I think I know by now how to take care of horses. And the other thing is that I didn't have a problem with Mr. Jeffries shooting the horse, actually if I had seen the horse in that condition, I would personally shot him myself. The only thing is I am angry about is that they did not try to locate me or find me. Everybody knows where to find me.
This is the second horse that has been killed by, I could say killed, as a result of young boys stealing them. Six months ago they stole a horse and it was another white horse so it looks like I am bad lucked with white horses and they ran it into a swamp. By the time we got to the horse, the horse had already drowned."
Jules Vasquez,
Why did they steal it? Out of idleness or did they steal it to sell?
Ian Jones,
"Well before I used to think it was out of idleness but since I found them at six mile bridge with my horse, I don't think that it is idleness anymore. I think they are trying to thief it. I think I am just naturally, I don't know if it is bad lucked you could say, with the horses because I know if you can recall last New Year's, a police officer knocked down one of my horses. So far I haven't been told of any court case, I don't know what is the outcome or the result of that yet. I don't know what they are doing with that. I haven't been asked to appear in court. None of my drivers were not asked to go to court so I don't know if the case has been thrown or if it is still pending. I am not sure of that."
The insurance company compensated him for the loss of that horse and carriage. Jones told us that someone has made a report to police explaining that he hit the horse yesterday morning after the horse escaped from a young man who was carrying it. That person, believed to be the horse thief, presumably then tied it to a tree and left it to its fate.
