Two More Horses Victimized by Tail Thief

It has happened again – only this time the crime was twice as bad.

In late July, Corrales police received another report of someone snipping the tail off of horses in the village.

As the Comment reported in its July 28, 2023, edition, a Vegita woman who was boarding her horse in Corrales reported that she found that the horse had its tail cut off at the hock.

This time, two horses were victimized. A woman living near the center of town east of Corrales Road reported that the same crime had been committed at her home on July 27.

“Both horses are fine and have no injury. And no sign of the rest of their tail,” the officer wrote in their report, noting that it is the second time in a month CPD received a report of a horse getting its tail cut off.

Apparently, horsehair theft is a thing. An Internet search turns up many reports of people across the country, but primarily in western states, reporting their horses’ tails being cut off.

Not only does it detract from the horses’ appearance, horses use their tails to ward off insects. One person whose horse was victimized likened it to the loss of an appendage.

Another report suggested there’s a blackmarket trade for horsehair.

Horsehair can be used for a number of things, including fabric-making, plasters, tinctures, and in the making of hat bands, belts and Native American pottery. Horsehair is also used to make brushes and violin bows.