Two horses trained to perform tricks with girls were stolen on Friday night in Colón, Matanzas, and the Cuban equestrian community issued a massive alert on social media to find their whereabouts.
The Facebook page Rodeo Cubano circulated an urgent call addressed to ranchers, riders, and rodeo enthusiasts across Cuba, asking them to share any information that could help recover the horses.
According to the publication, the animals belong to small acrobats from that locality in Matanzas and have been specially trained to participate in equestrian shows, making their loss go beyond the economic value of the horses.
"They are horses specifically trained to perform acrobatics," the page stated, emphasizing the time, dedication, sacrifice, and countless hours of training invested in them.
The statement also issued a direct appeal to those who took the animals to return them and prevent any harm from coming to them.
“Return their horses to them. Do not take away their dreams”, the complainants demanded, before making a particularly emphatic request: “And please, do not kill them.”
They also requested that anyone who knows their whereabouts convey the information as soon as possible.
The latest alert expands on a previously reported incident by the same page regarding the theft of Mayumi's paint horse, identified as an acrobat girl from Colón. According to that initial post, the animal had been taken during the night.
In that message, the organizers of the search explained that Mayumi's horse is part of the work and the performances prepared by the children along with their families.
"This is not just any horse. It is part of the life, the work, the dreams, and the sacrifices of these children and their entire family," they noted.
According to the text, the girls have used the animal in preparing shows aimed at entertaining the public and showcasing their bond with horses and rodeo traditions.
The publication also clarified that the goal is to recover the animal and not to confront the people who have it.
As part of the efforts to locate him, the whistleblowers are offering a reward for information that would allow for his recovery, although the notice did not specify the amount.
The communication concludes with a statement that captures the emotional weight of the case: “Today, it is not just about recovering a horse. It is about giving back to some children a part of their lives.”
Horse theft in Cuba primarily aims at the slaughter of the animals for the sale of their meat on the black market, a practice that has intensified due to the economic and food crisis the country is experiencing.
In May 2025, a man was arrested in Colón after attempting to steal a horse and assaulting its owner. A family from Ciego de Ávila offered a thousand dollars as a reward following the theft of a mare last June, and a similar situation in Santiago de Cuba mobilized the community with a reward of 50,000 Cuban pesos.
Cuban courts have responded with severe penalties: in May of this year, a court in Las Tunas sentenced a person to 15 years in prison for attempting to steal a horse, and in April 2025, a man in Guantánamo was sentenced to three years in prison for the theft of two horses.
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