Horse Tied, Pulled Behind Truck Sparks Animal Abuse Investigation

UPDATE: Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of John and Amber Saldate on animal cruelty charges in this case.

GRAND LAKE, Colo. (CBS4) - Video posted on Facebook showing a horse tied to the back of a pickup truck and being pulled has sparked outrage across the country. The Grand County Sheriff's Office has seized the horse, named Trigger, which is at the center of an animal abuse investigation.

The horse's owners, who did not want to be identified, talked to CBS4's Matt Kroschel from their home in Grand County on Monday.

"You make one bad decision sometimes and it can destroy your life," the woman told CBS4. "I've lost my job over this, I've upset a lot of people. I made our horse go through something that he shouldn't have. I was wrong."

The Grand County Sheriff's office launched an investigation after numerous people contacted them about the video posted Sunday on Facebook. In the video, a horse can be seen tied by its halter to the back of a pickup truck as the truck drives away, pulling the horse for at least 100 yards down the snow-covered road.

"Cases involving kids and animals are obviously very emotional," said Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin. "We need to do our part of the investigation which sometimes takes a little bit longer than what the community is hoping."

The Grand County Sheriff said deputies learned about the video and immediately responded by launching an investigation Sunday evening.

Trigger is a new addition to the family. The new owner said the horse gave his past owners problems.

"I'm very sorry. I get why people are upset," Trigger's owner told CBS4. "I was so stupid, I don't know why we did it."

Trigger was taken from the home and will be evaluated by animal welfare officers. The couple owns two other horses. Those horses were not seized on Monday.