Sheriff: Horse near West Amana killed by barbed wire

Barbed wire killed one of Shawn Seehusen's horses, the Iowa County Sheriff's Office concluded on Friday.

Seehusen told KCRG-TV9 this week he thought someone had killed the horse and tried to poison others in his farm pasture in West Amana. Someone also had thrown tomatoes - poisonous to horses - and vines into the pasture. And someone had painted graffiti on the horses and put rat poison on the ground near them.

Iowa County Sheriff Robert Rotter said one of his investigators - certified in investigating abuse of horses - exhumed the horse this morning.

“It was determined, without question, that the horse was killed accidentally by becoming entangled in a recently constructed barbed wire fence,” Rotter said.

The fence was put in place the day before the horse died and showed obvious signs of where the animal had become entangled, Rotter said.

He noted a thunderstorm swept the area the night the horse died.

“We believe it was the thunderstorm that first agitated the horse, followed by the horse's confusion when it struck the electrified barbed wire fence,” Rotter said. “A spooked horse can become very violent. When a powerful animal gets into a fight with a barbed wire fence, the injuries can be devastating.”

Rotter said Seehusen agreed with the conclusion. The sheriff said the evidence has been sent to Iowa State University for additional analysis.

The remaining problems involving the horses remain under investigation, he said.