Teenage girl charged over alleged horse stabbing at Las Vegas barrel racing event

Las Vegas police said they arrested a teenage girl Saturday, May 30, after receiving a report that she allegedly stabbed horses at a racing event.

As reported, the girl stabbed three horses at the site of a barrel racing competition this weekend.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Saturday that police received a report just after 2 a.m. on May 30 of an injured horse at a barn at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.

According to the Review-Journal, police said detectives found the girl at a nearby hotel. 

She was booked on 12 separate animal cruelty counts and three felony counts of malicious destruction of private property.

"Patrol officers arrived and learned that three horses had been intentionally injured with a sharp object," a Las Vegas Police Department news release said.

A statement from the National Barrel Horse Association said a number of horses were mistreated by a competitor at the 2026 NBHA Professional’s Choice Vegas Super Show, which is running through Sunday, May 31.

The association said in a news release that the suspect "has been removed and placed in the care of authorities, and there is no ongoing threat of any kind."

Police said the teen "had access to the barn, and investigators believe she may have used a knife to inflict multiple injuries to the horses."

Notably, police said the injuries to the horses were not life-threatening but serious enough to most likely prevent the horses from competing.