Horse advocates have raised more than $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for stealing and slaughtering a show horse in Palmetto, Florida.

On Oct. 24, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MSO) deputies responded to a call from horse owner Debbie Stephens reporting that her horse had been stolen from a stall in a barn attached to her home. Just days earlier, Stephens had purchased and imported the horse, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding named Phedras De Blondrel. After searching her property Stephens found the horse’s slaughtered remains with large protions of meat cut from the carcass and missing.

Shortly after the horse was killed, Stephens established a fund to offer a cash reward for any informaiton leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the horse’s death. As of Nov. 1, contributors had donated $51,515 to the reward fund.

On her social networking site Stephens said she was optimistic about halting the illegal horsemeat industry in Florida