Teen remains behind bars after 3 horses stabbed at national barrel racing event

A Las Vegas teenager was arrested May 30 after authorities say she stabbed three horses at the National Barrel Horse Association Super Show.

“The individual involved has been removed and placed in the care of authorities, and there is no ongoing threat of any kind,” the NBHA said in a post on X.

The suspect, who was competing in the event, faces 12 counts of willfully or maliciously killing, maiming or torturing animals and three felony counts of malicious destruction of property exceeding $5,000, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department press release.

All three of the horses’ owners have discussed this violence on Facebook.

“Rocket was stabbed three times, and had [evidence of] stab attempts around his body,” Keira Weisbart explained on a Facebook post about her horse.

Hailey Krahenbuhl shared ultrasound images of her horse, Sully, on her Facebook post. The images showed the wounds narrowly missed the jugular vein and several major joints by less than an inch. Any of those injuries could have ended Sully’s barrel racing career. Even though the injuries are treatable, Krahenbuhl said it will likely take two months before the horse is ready to ride.

Arielle Phillips said she interacted with the suspect multiple times before the teenager attacked Phillips’ horse, Detail. The suspect walked by Detail’s stall twice while Phillips was present, even though she was assigned to a different barn.

“She clearly kept coming back to check if I had left yet because this was premeditated!” Phillips claimed.

After the suspect allegedly stabbed Detail, Phillips said she called the owner to report the injury. Phillips returned to the barn to find the suspect hosing down Detail and attempting to treat the wounds. The suspect did not leave until she and the veterinarian agreed the punctures were stab wounds, Phillips said.

Before the incident, the charged teenage girl had continually contacted Phillips about her horse, Phillips said.

“A crazy obsessed stalker who has been following me on social media for a long time, obsessing over Detail, obsessing over meeting me. Sending me messages in which I would never respond to,” Phillips said. “This trip, she finally ‘met’ me and my mare.”

All three horses are expected to recover but are quite skittish from the attacks, according to their owners.

“She now does not let me even put my hands near her. She is traumatized,” Phillips said.

Hailey Krahenbuhl and her sister, Peyton Krahenbuhl, launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Weisbart, Phillips and their horses.

“They are partners, family, and a huge part of their lives,” the website says of the horses. “What happened was heartbreaking and completely undeserved, and now they need care, treatment and support to recover.”

A judge determined the suspect is a threat to the public and will remain detained until a hearing in July to decide whether the case will stay in juvenile court, according to the local Fox News outlet.