State Fair patrol horse slashed to death in Inver Grove Heights

A horse that has been part of the State Fair's Mounted Patrol for 10 years was killed over the weekend, its throat slashed, according to owner Patty Stadt of Inver Grove Heights.

By Tom Ford, Star Tribune

Last update: July 16, 2007 - 12:05 AM

A horse that has been part of the State Fair's Mounted Patrol for 10 years was killed over the weekend, its throat slashed, according to owner Patty Stadt of Inver Grove Heights.

Stadt said she and her husband found Bo, a 15-year-old quarter horse, about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, dead in a pasture on their property, where they left Bo and their other horse, Charlie, to graze overnight.

The couple said they knew something was wrong early Saturday when they heard the repeated whinnies of Charlie coming through their open bedroom window, she said.

"It was like [Charlie] was trying to tell us something," Stadt said.

Bo and Charlie were buddies and would often run alongside each other, so the death has been especially tough on Charlie, she said.

"It's sad," Stadt said. "They go through a grieving process, too."

She estimates that whoever killed Bo did it sometime after 11 p.m. Friday. She and her husband said they will offer a $500 reward to help solve the crime.

Anyone with information about the case can call police at 651-450-2525.

TOM FORD