Multiple Ponies Sexually Assaulted, Injured At Delaware Horse-Riding Center, Man Charged With Bestiality

A man in Delaware was arrested for sexually assaulting ponies at a horse-riding center.

According to local reports, in September 2019, a 20-year-old mare was found with a cord tied around one of its hind legs at the New Castle County Carousel Park and Equestrian Center. CCTV footage showed a white man entering the barn and tying up the mare above her hooves before sexually assaulting the animal.

A few months later, a 17-year-old black and white mare was found with injuries to her hind legs. The mare had trouble walking and difficulty in breathing. The incident was reported to the police who determined that the same man was involved in both the incidents.

On April 20, a 31-year-old brown mare was sexually assaulted. CCTV footage showed a man entering the pony’s stall and typing her legs. The man was then seen taking off his clothes and sexually assaulting the animal. Police couldn’t identify the man as he covered his face with a cloth.

As part of the investigation, detectives were surveilling the stables around 12.30 a.m. Thursday (May 21) when they spotted a man tying up a small horse’s hind legs. The man, later identified as 31-year-old Michael Riego, was taken into custody and charged with two counts each of felony bestiality and felony burglary. He was being held in jail and his bail was set at $12,000. Investigation into the case was ongoing.

In a similar incident last year, a horse was sexually abused in South Carolina. Abbey Ronco, a horse breeder, told local media that she took care of the horses and went to bed. When she went to feed the animals the following morning, she felt something was wrong as her mare behaved differently and didn’t come to the gate like she usually did.

"I found her in the strand of trees...with a rope tied around her neck that was ripped. There were ropes strung between the trees and then her legs were tied opposite angles in a hobble,” Ronco said, adding that the mare was in a lot of pain. Vets arrived at the scene and confirmed that the mare was sexually assaulted.