Photo by Mariah Farmer Photography.
Tragedy struck in Elkins, Ark. last week after three horses, all owned by local area event rider Megan Wadley, suffered gunshot wounds inflicted by a neighbor, who was subsequently arrested on multiple counts including aggravated cruelty and criminal mischief. Sadly, one horse of Megan’s, Jedi, who was Megan’s first event horse and partner for more than 12 years, succumbed to her injuries, leaving the other two in critical condition.
“My mare who I was planning to attend Hoosier at Training level and AECs at Novice level in August was transferred to an out of state hospital the night of the shooting,” Megan told EN. “She is still being monitored for fluid and blood in her chest cavity and for any complications from the shot near her spleen where we were unable to identify the bullet tract. She has additional shots in a hind leg that luckily missed vital structures. My other gelding is a large pony we rescued from the Kauffman kill pen about three years ago. He is being monitored for infection/complications locally for a shallow shot to the chest and additional shots in the hind leg.”
Jedi. Photo courtesy of Megan Wadley.
A GoFundMe account with a target of $25,000 has been set up to support Megan and her family through the tragedy; as of publication, the fundraiser has collected nearly $23,000 of its goal.
The EN team is sending Megan our deepest sympathies and support.
