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Outerbridge Cowboy Gives Up Horses as Part of Guilty Plea, DA Says

By Nicholas Rizzi | March 27, 2017 2:48pm
 Tod "Doc" Mishler, 80, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and forfeited his two horses.
Outerbridge Cowboy Pleads Guilty and Gives Up Horses, Prosecutors Say
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STATEN ISLAND — The cowboy who moseyed over the Outerbridge Crossing on horseback has forfeited his steeds — Hope II and Charity — after prosecutors said he abused them during a cross-country ride that ended in New York City.

Tod "Doc" Mishler, 80, pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct and was barred from owning horses in the state for two years under the deal, District Attorney Michael McMahon announced.

"When Mr. Mishler first rode into Staten Island, his two horses, Hope II and Charity, suffered from painful bleeding sores and showed serious signs of dehydration," McMahon said in a statement.

"I am proud to say that today both of these horses are fully recovered and have been placed under the care and supervision of trained professionals at facilities capable of meeting their everyday needs."

Mishler — who rode cross-country on horseback to raise awareness for childhood hunger — made headlines in June for his traffic-snarling ride over the Outerbridge.

He was slapped with two summonses by the Port Authority — which doesn't allow horses on the roadway — and the city took his animals to Ocean Breeze Park to be checked out by a vet.

Two different vets found that both horses were underfed and weren't given enough water or veterinary care, prosecutors said.

They found Hope II had open sores under her harness and lameness in her right leg from an untreated infection in her hoof, according to his complaint.

Charity II was found to be underweight with pressure sores near her armpits, prosecutors said.

Mishler was arrested and charged with torturing and injuring his animals. He rejected a plea deal in August and then in October filed a notice of claim against the city for $50 million for taking his steeds.

"He said 'I just want to be done with this,'" Mishler's lawyer, Richard Luthmann, said. "He's going to ride off into the sunset and leave New York behind."

Because of the plea deal, Mishler dropped his suit against the city and plans to either head back West to where he's from or visit his family down South, Luthmann said.

"I think he's going to stay out of the northeast," he said.

This isn't the first time Mishler was accused of mistreating his horses during his rides.

In 2011, he was arrested in Wisconsin after police there said his horses were underfed and dehydrated, but the charges were later dropped, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.