Beutler and Son Rodeo Company has been around since 1929 and is located in Elk City, Oklahoma. They have been producing rodeo stock for the last 90 years, and in the 1950s, they became the largest stock contractor in the country.
Unfortunately, last week a recent batch of horse feed caused the operation to lose anywhere between 40-70 horses. This all occurred before a hometown rodeo.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry is investigating how a poisonous cattle drug ended up in the horse feed mix.
“This was a tragic case of human error somewhere along the line because tiny amounts of monensin is poison to horses. Monensin is used in some cattle feed, but this amount in this horse feed delivered to the Beutlers would have killed cattle, too,” according to Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen, a veterinarian at Timbercreek Veterinary Hospital, the Oklahoman reported.
Monensin’s main function is to prevent Coccidiosis, a parasitic disease, in cattle, sheep, and goats.
A sample is currently being tested and results should come back in a few weeks. The impact on the local rodeo community is unknown.
The Beutlers are still caring for 140 horses.
