Editor’s Note: The story was updated on April 7, 2025, to include that the Nye County sheriff confirmed there is an open criminal investigation.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas veterinarian is missing following a viral video that shows him kicking a horse’s head.
On Thursday, Dr. Shawn Frehner was paid to administer anesthetic shots for some horses at a Pahrump, Nevada, property. Shawna Gonzalez, the property owner, said she had used Frehner’s services since August 2024 but was shocked at what she heard as she walked back from the chicken coop.
“I heard [my mother] yell, ‘Oh my God. He just kicked him,’” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez ran to her mother’s window and looked out, but didn’t see anything but the young colt struggling to breathe.
“Oh my god, Mom, he’s choking,” she said. “He wrapped the horse around his neck three times, and he kicked him in the head.”
Within seconds, Gonzalez witnessed Frehner kick the horse in the head, leaving an abrasion—Gonzalez fell to the ground.
“I had started having a severe anxiety attack and couldn’t breathe myself,” she said. “I was already on the ground, and my daughter picked up the phone and hit record, and that’s when she got him on videotape, kicking him.”
Injured horse taken to equine center
The property, which also functions as a rescue, has around 10 horses and other farm animals, according to Gonzalez. Some of the horses came from a reservation in Arizona.
“The opportunity came upon us that we could rescue baby horses,” she said. “We made sure we had a doctor in line, a trainer in line, a farrier in line, everybody we needed to have in line to care for these horses.”
Gonzalez said the injured horse was taken to the Desert Pines Equine Center, suffering abrasions to the skull and unnecessary injuries from the gelding.
“[Frehner] left my property before my horse was even up,” she said. “My horse was still down for a good 45 minutes after he left, and before he left, there were several people that were there, and even they can state that he was kind of in a rush off my property.”
Charges filed against Dr. Shawn Frehner for animal cruelty
The next day, Gonzalez reached out to the Nye County Animal Control, which referred her to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office. She filed charges against Frehner for animal cruelty. Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill confirmed Tuesday morning that there is an open criminal investigation into Frehner, but did not release any further information.
Over the weekend, the video of Frehner kicking the horse was widely shared online. This spurred a post from Frehner.
“I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all,” Frehner wrote. “It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move so I could again try to anesthetize.”
Frehner did end the post with an apology and admitted to kicking the horse.
“But yes, I did kick him right in the chin and I very much do apologize and wish this never happened,” he wrote.
Dr. Shawn Frehner goes missing
Multiple agencies in Nevada started searching for a missing person within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area this morning. Sources told the 8 News Now Investigators crews were searching for Shawn David Frehner.
The effort involved aerial, marine, and ground resources, the release stated. The release did not confirm the identity of the missing person, nor did it say when and where the person was last seen.
The National Park Service, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and Red Rock Search and Rescue volunteers were “actively” searching for the missing individual, NPS said in a release. Crews told 8 News Now they were concluding the ground search Monday afternoon and would start again Tuesday morning.