Dragging horse behind a pickup was ‘bad decision,’ say two charged in Colorado

Two people in Colorado are facing animal cruelty charges after video surfaced of a horse being dragged behind a pickup truck.

The disturbing video was shared to social media on Sunday and shows the horse — named Trigger, according to KCNC — tied to the back of a pickup as the truck begins move.

Someone can be heard saying, “This a**hole refuses to leave the ranch, so John’s pulling him across,” as the horse is dragged through the snow, seemingly struggling to get his feet under him.

The video has been viewed more than 43,000 times as of Wednesday morning. It can be watched here, but may be too graphic for some viewers.

The horse is safe after being seized by authorities, police in Grand County say, but now two people are facing charges.

John Saldate, 59, and Amber Saldate, 35, were charged with animal cruelty on Tuesday, police said in a news release. The pair is due in court in late January.

Officials say their phones have been ringing off the hook with callers interested in the case.

“Because the events are now the subject of an active prosecution, our ethical obligations prohibit us from discussing it, but interested persons can attend the public court hearings if they choose,” the release said.

Trigger’s owners expressed regret over the incident.

“You make one bad decision sometimes and it can destroy your life,” Amber Saldate told KCNC. “I’ve lost my job over this, I’ve upset a lot of people. I made our horse go through something that he shouldn’t have. I was wrong.”

The pair own two other horses that were not seized by officials, according to the news outlet.

This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Dragging horse behind a pickup was ‘bad decision,’ say two charged in Colorado."