"I agree that this horse story is indeed tragic but what can we do besides lament?"

Well my first wife was Russian and we often enjoyed horse meat and kasha. The dish is a great delicacy in Russia. Unfortunately here in the United States, horse meat is extremely expensive. Is that any sort of a hint?

Poor horses. Especially Maggie. Anyone who'd do that to a horse is beyond ill. (I'm wondering if Maggie should be on IV antibiotics? Surely some vets @ NCSU can advise/help?)

I agree that this horse story is indeed tragic but what can we do besides lament? We express our sentiments but what does it really accomplish other than making us feel better that we commented? What if the people who did this are caught? I know of cases where overwhelming evidence exists to convict people who have been caught harming others and/or their property. Then, because of case loads in the court system or some other not so good reason, A DA or prosecutor somewhere will rule the evidence not good enough and throw the whole thing out thereby letting career criminals go free yet again. All the old adages come to mind; "If you want more of what you got, keep doing what you're doing." Or, "When the punishment starts fitting the crime, crime will decrease." Someone commented para; What would we want next? A death penalty for spitting on the sidewalk? My answer: A conditional "yes." The condition being that if it were to become law and you are forewarned in no uncertain terms that

I have only one strong thought for the those people who would do such a thing....and I can't say it here because it is VERY offensive.

I remember we had bought a horse and had it out in the field in the winter. She became very sick and we could not figure it out. We called the Vet and found out she had been shot after the autopsy. With her winter coat and the size of the bullet...the vet didn't see the bullet hole. It was sad to see a animal struggle/die for no apparent reason. We canvassed the woods/neighbors and found a few bullet holes in houses from people using guns, but never caught the people who did it. I see this and am furious that someone would do this.