INDIANAPOLIS — A horse owner and trainer is facing a charge of animal cruelty after an investigation at an Anderson horse track.
Dale Hiteman is accused of whipping a horse multiple times in her stall this summer at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing and Casino.
A video recorded above the stall and referenced in court documents is said to show Hiteman striking the horse, "Princess Laa," which he owns and trains, on her body and head with a leather lead as she lies in the corner of the stall.
Investigators said Hiteman tried putting equipment on the horse, but when she refused, he struck her to scare her and get her up on her feet. In an interview with investigators last week, Hiteman acknowledged he was the person seen in the video striking the animal.
Court documents say a veterinarian examined the horse afterward and determined there was no evidence of external or mental trauma to the animal.
WARNING: This video shows an act of alleged abuse on an animal. It may be disturbing to some viewers.
Another veterinarian told investigators they believed there would be two cases in which "it may be appropriate to strike a horse," with those instances including if the horse was attempting to harm a person or another animal or if it had the potential to do harm to itself.
"I do not see that this animal is either about to cause harm to itself or the handler prior to the handler striking it, and in my opinion, striking it in the face/head/neck is not appropriate and the handler is knowingly beating the animal without good cause," the veterinarian wrote in an email to investigators.
Prosecutors charged Hiteman with a misdemeanor count of cruelty to an animal. Court records note it is his first offense.