Reward Grows in Missing Horse Case

As the search for three missing horses continues, the reward for information that leads to their safe return is continuing to grow.

Anyone who can help bring Shooter, Velvet and Spider home may be eligible for a $5,000 thank-you, according to a Facebook page dedicated to the search for the missing animals. Launched shortly after news of the missing horses broke, the page is gaining a following.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the disappearance of the three horses from a pasture off Dog Kennel Road. The animals, the agency said, went missing sometime between 4 p.m. on Sunday and 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Shooter is a gray quarter horse gelding. He stands about 15.5 hands high and has a frozen “L” brand. Spider is described as a red roan Appaloosa gelding and Velvet is a dark gorilla paint quarter horse mare.

See Also:

• Show Horse’s Slaughter Under Investigation

Owner Michelle Cristiani Gaster fears the horses have been taken for slaughter as was the case in a recent Manatee County incident. The Parrish horse theft occurred late last month when a show horse was taken from its stall while its owners slept in their home nearby. The animal was found dead with “large portions of meat cut from it and missing,” the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Whether there’s a possible connection between the two cases has not yet been released. Sarasota investigators, however, are asking anyone with information about Shooter, Spider and Velvet to call 941-861-4087.

A possible suspicious vehicle was spotted off Dog Kennel Road around the time of the disappearance, deputies say. That vehicle is described as a white Dually pickup that was pulling a red stock trailer.

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office