A Cheyenne company is being sued by a Texas woman over an alleged attack by a miniature horse the lawsuit describes in terms reminiscent of a horror movie.
Kelly Sue Elliott, in her lawsuit filed against the owners of the Terry Bison Ranch Resort south of Cheyenne, described an attack by the horse that pulled a piece of skin from her arm in an injury requiring skin grafts.
“(Elliott’s) grandchildren and other patrons looked on in horror as (Elliott’s) skin was completely removed leaving her with a chunk of her skin on the barn floor and blood pouring from her wound,” said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday.
Elliott is seeking damages to be determined in a jury trial, alleging the Terry Bison Ranch was negligent in not protecting visitors from the horse.
According to the lawsuit, Elliott and her grandchildren visited the Terry Bison Ranch in September 2021 and went for a walk through its petting zoo.
Elliott approached a pen in a barn that was next to the petting zoo to view a black miniature horse and then knelt down next to the pen, using her left arm to brace herself against the pen.
“She looked away for a brief moment to beckon her grandchildren to view the mini-horse when suddenly the mini-horse violently lunged and sunk its teeth into Mrs. Elliott’s left forearm,” the lawsuit said. “The miniature horse then pulled on (Elliott’s) arm and attempted to pull her into the enclosure. (Elliott) was only able to get away after the horse ripped her flesh from her arm.”
Elliott was taken to a hospital, where she underwent a skin graft to repair the wound.
The lawsuit said Terry Bison Ranch knew or should have known that the horse had “violent tendencies and had a history of vicious propensities.”
The ranch failed to post signs or warnings for people to stay away from pens containing the horse and also failed to confine the horse in such a way to protect people from attack, the lawsuit said.
The ranch’s owners should also have known that miniature horses in general have “aggressive, dangerous personalities” and the public should be protected from the animals.
The lawsuit alleges Terry Bison Ranch is guilty of negligence and gross negligence.
