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Abused horse may be euthanized after Dread Head Cowboy (nee Census Cowboy) blocks freeway for Kids Lives Matter


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Not something you see every day:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2020/9/23/21452811/census-dread-head-cowboy-adam-hollingsworth-animal-cruelty

One veterinarian equated Monday’s incident to “forcing an 80-year-old woman to run a full marathon,” Cook County prosecutors said.

Chicago’s “Dread Head Cowboy” rode his horse to exhaustion — and narrowly close to death — while protesting gun violence against children on the Dan Ryan Expressway earlier this week, Cook County prosecutors said.

The horse will never ride again and may need to be euthanized, Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Deboni said Wednesday, adding that one veterinarian compared Adam Hollingsworth’s actions to “forcing an 80-year-old woman to run a full marathon.”

Authorities found the horse collapsed on the pavement near 95th Street Monday, overheated, dehydrated, bleeding from the hooves, and with eyes so dilated they resembled “cartoon eyes,” Deboni said. The horse, coerced to run seven miles without horseshoes, also had sores beneath its saddle, which wasn’t properly padded, the prosecutor said.

After differentiating the well-intentioned protest to the horse’s alleged poor treatment, Judge David Navarro ordered Hollingsworth, 33, held on $25,000 bail for animal cruelty.

Adam Hollingsworth, known as the “Dread Head Cowboy,” posted video of himself riding his horse on the Dan Ryan Monday.

 “The horse doesn’t know it was part of a protest,” the judge said. “The horse only knows how it was treated. And ... it appears that treatment was criminal.”

Hollingsworth’s protest began about 4:30 p.m. Monday as he galloped into the southbound lanes at 35th Street. Holding back traffic as police cars and motorcycles tailed him, he eventually exited at 95th Street.

The horse trotted at times, but was galloping for most of the ride, Deboni said. When the horse slowed down, most likely from exhaustion, Hollingsworth allegedly kicked and whipped it.

Hollingsworth, known for his civic activism, broadcast his protest on Facebook Live, saying “I shut down the Dan Ryan! Kids lives matter!”

But Deboni claimed that, in another video posted June 11, Hollingsworth said he would “ride his horse until it dies.”

The horse, in critical condition, continues to collapse during treatment, and is never expected to stabilize, Deboni said...

 

...Hollingsworth’s lawyer said his client’s protest was planned and that motorcycles were used to protect the horse from cars. Saddle sores are common for horses and not all riders believe horses need horseshoes on the pavement, the defense attorney argued...

 

...On Tuesday, Father Michael Pfleger and activist Ja’Mal Green called for authorities to drop charges against Hollingsworth. However, Pfleger did say, “If the horse was injured in any way, obviously, I don’t want that. I’m sorry about that.”

Referring to Hollingsworth’s determination to shine a light on violence against children, Green said, “I understand the animal rights activists, who say what they say about the horse, Nunu, being injured...but what I want you to understand is that human rights matter as well....”

 
Pic of injured horse right after the arrest (not very graphic, but I'll spoiler it anyway)
 
Spoiler

 

 

 
Background article about him from early summer:

https://news.wttw.com/2020/05/21/chicago-portrait-dreadhead-cowboy

...Prior to Illinois’ COVID-19 shutdown, Hollingsworth, a father of four, had worked as an exotic dancer since 2010.

But after discovering a love of horses and the attention brought by his saddled travels through the city, Hollingsworth said he plans to retire from dancing and focus full-time on horseback riding and demonstrations through Chicago’s underserved communities and, eventually, beyond.

“My goal is to give back to the community and then after I do that in the inner city and I accomplish my goal here, I’m gonna branch off and start a tour through the Midwest,” Hollingsworth said. “I’m gonna hit seven states in the Midwest and hit the inner city in every state.”

To realize his intercity horseback tour, Hollingsworth started a GoFundMe page for supplies, upkeep and gas money....

Edited by clapclapclap
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The horse, coerced to run seven miles without horseshoes, also had sores beneath its saddle, which wasn’t properly padded, the prosecutor said.

By comparison, a 70-Year-Old Man Won a 1000-Kilometer Horse Race in Mongolia. https://abcnews.go.com/International/70-year-american-oldest-winner-longest-horse-race/story?id=65121527

 

 

 

 

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16 hours ago, Willfully Horn said:

The dread-head deserves what’s coming to him.

 

That horse. A horse will work for man until it drops dead. A dog, too. But a mule won’t.

Because mules have zero fucks to give.  

And may possibly save your ass when in close proximity to lions....

muleattack.jpg

  • Hook 'Em 1
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22 hours ago, clapclapclap said:

But after discovering a love of horses and the attention brought by his saddled travels through the city, Hollingsworth said he plans to retire from dancing and focus full-time on horseback riding and demonstrations through Chicago’s underserved communities and, eventually, beyond.

 

I'd like to kick this guy's ass.

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2 minutes ago, GringoSalado said:

I'd like to kick this guy's ass.

Yep, driving a horse like that can initiate all kinds of bad news for the animal.  Overheating being the most obvious, but also stress on their feet, specifically the cannon bones, hocks, joints,  and hooves.  Even most police horses have specialized hoof coverings that protect them from the hard concrete.  

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