09/01/2024
>Updated 9-1-24 with a glimpse of happiness.<
The level of catastrophic loss that’s still unfolding at the Beutler Ranch in Elk City, Oklahoma right now is beyond comprehension. The horror of so many dead horses—the death toll is now approaching 70 and counting, I’m told—is devastating a family-dynasty breeding program that’s a 95-year-old cowboy empire. What Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler started in 1929, and Elra’s grandson Bennie and his son Rhett built onto with Beutler & Son Rodeo Company today can’t be replicated or replaced.
I have intentionally sat quiet on this story, knowing the Beutlers can’t even breathe right now. They have no words, or tears left. They also have their hometown rodeo to produce this weekend, and with so much of their horse herd and generations-deep legacy wiped out without warning.
I’ve had many off-the-record conversations with cowboy people about this tragic turn of events in the last few days. I just had my first one on the record with the friend and veterinarian the Beutlers have entrusted with their four-legged family, Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen. Because of what may lie ahead legally, we will stick to only the facts that can be appropriately shared publicly at this time. More to come later, when the time is right for the Beutler family.
Early reporting that many of the Beutlers’ horses were accidentally fed cattle feed is false, according to VeneKlasen.
“What these horses got was actually a horse feed mix with a huge amount of the cattle drug monensin (brand name Rumensin) in it,” VeneKlasen said. “This was a tragic case of human error somewhere along the line, because tiny amounts of monensin is poison to horses. It kills them. Monensin is used in some cattle feed, but this amount in this horse feed delivered to the Beutlers would have killed cattle, too.
“Much is known about what has happened here that cannot yet be told. But the bottom line on this story is that it’s an important one to tell, so this never happens to anyone else. I will say this: Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period. Please quote me on that. Every horse that ate this feed is dead. The only bucking mare still alive is (NFR bucker) Black Kat, because she was at my place (Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas; that’s her in this picture) when this feed was delivered. The only Killer Bee baby that is still alive refused to eat the feed.
“I cried. We all cried. These bloodlines were five generations in the making. Many of the stars of this breeding program are gone. To see what’s happened here to these horses will make you puke.”
I stopped using the word “tragedy” a long time ago for situations that did not warrant it. “It’s not a tragedy if nobody died” has become a famous line of mine when perspective is lost and drama is overblown. This, my friends, is a tragedy in our rodeo family.
The one silver lining I’ve seen so far is the heartwarming generosity of other stock contractors stepping up and offering their stock to the Beutlers. That’s how our rodeo family rolls in the toughest of times, and it’s something special to behold and be very proud of.
This story continues to unfold. More when we can. Until then, God Bless every horse who has died. And prayers for the Beutler family as they try to find a path forward with so many family members missing.
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8-31-24 Update 1:
To help prevent further public panic over feed safety, Dr. VeneKlasen today made the following statement on this subject:
“Many brands of feed—Purina, Nutrena and Bluebonnet, to name a few off the top of my head—are made in equine-only mills, and are safe. I suggest people stay with the big commercial companies with strict regulations in place. Because bucking-horse genetics are prone to metabolic syndrome, I feed Triple Crown Senior to everything here at Timber Creek (Veterinary Hospital), even the babies, because it’s beet-pulp based with low sugar and high fat content.
“If you’re going to get custom feed from a mill that makes feed for multiple species, including horses, cattle, goats, pigs and whatever else, make sure before it leaves the mill that it’s been tested for ionophores. It’s not an expensive test, but it’s a critically important one. You can’t have even trace amounts of ionophores, which can happen in unintentionally cross-contaminated feed, because the smallest dose impacts horses’ hearts. If they eat even a tiny amount of it and don’t die today, it might kill them in three weeks, three months or three years.”
More details will be released as is appropriate from Team Beutler. Thank you all for your patience, understanding and prayers.
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8-31-24 Update 2:
Livestock Nutrition Center, who delivered the load of feed to the Beutlers, issued a statement today. Team Beutler wanted it shared with you all.
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From Ronnie Castlebury, Ph.D
President of Livestock Nutrition Center
“We are truly sorry for what the Beutler family is going through.
Our preliminary tests show a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Company in Elk City contained monensin, which can be toxic to horses. This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction. We have confirmed this is an isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility and no other feed has been impacted and is safe for animal consumption.
We take this seriously and are working with the State Departments of Agriculture in Oklahoma and Kansas and the FDA to get to the root cause of the problem and will take any and all corrective actions needed.
Words are cheap but we are dedicated to assist and support the Beutler family and make this right because our customers and employees expect and deserve it.
Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr.’s Bennie and Rhett Beutler and family and everyone affected by the recent tragic event at their ranch. The loss of so many valued animals is devastating.”
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8-31-24 Update 3:
After speaking with Dr. Mottet, Dr. VeneKlasen asked that she write this statement, and that I include it as today’s third important update. “This is information everybody needs to know,” Dr. VeneKlasen said. “It’s a simple way for horse owners to check on the safety of their feed. There are so many feeds I’ve never even heard of. This is an easy way for people to check on the feed they’re using.”
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From Rachel Mottet, MS, PhD, Equine Nutritionist:
Most U.S. feed companies are extremely safe and reliable, even those with multi-species mills. The greatest safety risk comes from mills that produce ionophore-containing feeds in the same mill and production lines as their equine feeds. This becomes fewer mills each year, yet there are still some that do this, often for logistical reasons. The most important thing you should find out is what your feed company’s policy is regarding ionophores (the toxic compound involved in this situation) in their equine feed manufacturing mills.
My team has been compiling a list of company statements to give owners assurance about the safety of their feed. You can find this list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IVu88GVlLU04C3uitCTPHQ5Q2cB-khka_-eMJaMSCY/edit?usp=drivesdk. There are some blanks as we are awaiting the response from a number of companies. A blank does not mean that your feed company is not safe, but for legal reasons, these statements can take time and we will populate them as they become available.
In our list, Ionophore Free refers to a mill where there are no ionophores present. Ionophore Safe refers to a company that has production policies to keep equine feed separate from feed with ionophores. If your company is ionophore safe vs. free, please connect with them directly to ensure they have completely separate equipment for equine feed production and ionophore free trucks to haul bulk feed. If they do not, please make a decision about how to best reduce your horse’s risk of exposure.
The major U.S. feed companies tend to be extremely safe and have many checks and balances in place due to the volume of feed they produce. If your feed is Ionophore Safe vs. Free, do no panic, yet I advise that you follow-up with your company to get clarification on their production practices.
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9-1-24 Update:
As fate, God and all those brand new Beutler bucking horses in Heaven would have it, the lone bucking-mare survivor of the recent Beutler-horse-herd tragedy, Black Kat, just won the Elk City Rodeo of Champions…held in Beutler and Son Rodeo Company’s hometown…in Beutler Bros. Arena, which was named after founding brothers Jake, Lynn and Elra…for the second-straight year. Roedy Farrell of Thermopolis, Wyoming went 88.5 on the big black beauty for the win. Bonus points for it be a Cowboy State cowboy with all the 400,000-plus wildfire hell going on in his home country right now. We all needed something to smile about. And we got it tonight.
