If you were starting to think that Am I The A-Hole? stories have already reached their peak and are beginning to sound samey, then brace yourself—this next one is something you’d see Netflix doing a docuseries about.
A woman turned to Reddit’s r/AITA community for some perspective on her relationship with her then-boyfriend. Apparently, he was demanding she get rid of her horse so she could prioritize their relationship. Without spoiling too much, let’s say that not only did his plan fail miserably, but he also turned out to be in a cosmological amount of trouble for how he handled his next relationship after OP dumped him.
Netflix, are you reading this? Get cracking!
Horses are some of the most majestic animals on the planet, so it should come as no surprise why folks would prioritize them over other people
Image credits: nohorsethrow
The story goes that 24-year-old Reddit user u/nohorsethrow is an avid lover of horses. She’s been one ever since she was 4, and had been very close with her personal steed named Lady since acquiring her at the age of 12.
At one point, she started dating a guy who she was upfront and transparent with—she explained her commitment to Lady, and how spending 3 to 4 hours a day caring for her and riding was part of her. He was cool with it. For the first 6 months. That’s when conflict started brewing.
And it's this prioritization that led to a conflict between a couple that found its way onto Reddit. But unlike most Reddit posts, this one has become a "novel"
Image credits: nohorsethrow
Since it all seemed to be getting serious between the two, he started demanding that she start spending less time with Lady and start prioritizing their relationship. Understandable, to some degree. OP put effort into making it work, reducing her time with Lady to every other day, and only spending a couple of hours each time.
That was, however, not enough, as demands grew to a degree where the boyfriend suggested she sell Lady. At this point, she was only there to do the basics, and ride on occasion. But she needed to prioritize more, when all she was doing was prioritizing. The argument got so heated, the boyfriend suggested euthanasia because the horse is “old” and claimed that all his girlfriend does is “hang out with other insane horse people.”
So, this woman was with a guy who, while cool at first, later started demanding that she stop seeing her horse so much and prioritize their relationship
Image credits: nohorsethrow
Image credits: Ryan Crierie (not the actual photo)
After the story found itself on r/AITA, folks started pointing out red flags left and right. His supposed jealousy, his manipulative abusiveness, his hypocrisy, all that jazz. She ended up dumping him—leaving his things outside their building, texting him, and having another back-and-forth about how it’s not a “minor disagreement.”
She later got in touch with his ex and really understood just how lucky she was to get out of that relationship as early as she did. OP didn’t elaborate, but made it clear that she made the right decision. Things went back to normal, with OP being able to spend her regular dedicated time with Lady. That is, until 11 months later.
His demands grew so much that, even with the best of efforts, the author of the post just could not meet them as she just can't sell her childhood steed (let alone euthanize her)
Image credits: nohorsethrow
Image credits: Samson Katt (not the actual photo)
At that point, there had already been two posts made on the story. The original, and then the follow-up. But five days ago—11 months after the first two—OP posted a thank you letter of sorts to the Reddit community on r/TrueOffMyChest.
In it, she details how she feels a bit guilty about it all. While her boyfriend never hit her, he was abusive in other ways, and it took thousands of Redditors to convince her, all the while not truly listening to the same thing being said by her family and friends. Also, in her posts, she felt like she sugarcoated a lot, when she shouldn’t have.
After a reality check from Reddit's audience, the woman decided to split with the guy as he was just too toxic for her to begin with
Image credits: nohorsethrow
Image credits: Leah Kelley (not the actual photo)
The post culminated in a pretty shocking plot twist when OP revealed her ex-boyfriend had taken his girlfriend's life. She came into the picture very soon after OP had broken up with him. She also expressed her regret on not doing anything to, at the very least, warn her about him:
“I feel guilty that I didn’t track her down when they met and warned her, but when I found out he had another girlfriend all I could think was ‘thank god, then he will forget about me’. Does that make me an awful person? Maybe? I don’t know. And I could never imagine he would do something like this. Even now it doesn’t feel real. Yes, he had anger management issues, but [taking somebody's life]? It’s just difficult to comprehend,” OP explained herself.
All seemed to be fine until 11 months later when the woman, much to everyone's surprise, posted another update—a scarier one this time
Image credits: nohorsethrow
She concluded by reiterating her gratitude for helping her understand, and in turn helping her dodge a very deadly bullet. Also, “[Foop] you, Adam. Hope you rot in hell.”
Throughout this entire experience, Redditors have been nothing but supportive, suggesting she pulls out and doesn’t give into the guilt she feels after what happened to that other girl, and just throwing loads of positivity her way. Across the 3 posts, she’d accumulated around 27,000 upvotes (averaging at 98% positivity) with nearly a hundred Reddit awards.
Turns out, the woman dodged a bullet as the guy ended up taking his next girlfriend's life, leaving the author of the post even more distressed
Image credits: nohorsethrow
You can check out the original story, the update, and the aftermath by following their respective hyperlinks. But before you go, do share your thoughts and stories in the comment section below, and consider hitting that upvote button as it certainly makes my day.
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