For the Minnesota owners who found their therapeutic riding horse Poco shot to death in the pasture, some solace might be found with the recent passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.

Passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 13, the bill, supported by the American Horse Council, increases the criminal and monetary penalties for crimes against animal owners and requires that restitution be made to owners who suffer particular economic losses.

The bill’s goal is to provide the Justice Department with the authority to

apprehend, prosecute and convict individuals committing animal enterprise terror.

An animal enterprise, as defined by the bill, includes academic and commercial institutions that maintain or sell animals for profit, agriculture, education, research, testing, food and legal equine events such as horse shows and rodeos. The bill also protects zoos, aquariums, animal shelters, pet stores, breeders, circuses and furriers. The protection also extends to fairs that “advance agriculture arts and science,” according to the bill.

The bill states that it is a crime to “damage or interfere with a legitimate legal animal enterprise.”

The act defines the potential fines and imprisonment for such related crimes. For example, the guilty party can be fined and imprisoned for five years or less if he or she inflicts between $10,000-$100,000 in damages or if there is reasonable fear for serious human bodily injury or death.

The black and white Pinto Poco was a therapeutic riding horse and belonged to a family with two autistic sons. The family was planning to open a therapeutic riding summer camp for children with autism. The horse was found shot three times in the leg, and investigators do not believe the shooting to be an accident.