The Stallion

Originally Aired: May 18, 1958 In Gunsmoke #319, "The Stallion," a debt collection turns violent when Oak Harker arrives at Dan Stokes' ranch demanding payment for money owed to his father. When Stokes can't pay, Harker seizes his prized stud horse—a beautiful groan with a blaze that Stokes raised from a foal and refuses to sell because he knows Harker mistreats animals. Stokes warns that if the horse is harmed, he'll take him back, even if it means killing Harker. Marshal Matt Dillon soon encounters a runaway horse that's been savagely beaten with a bull whip, its hide torn and bloody. With Doc Adams' help, he stables the horse and waits to see who will claim it. When Dan Stokes appears at the Long Branch asking about the legality of Harker's seizure, Matt realizes the connection but holds back from telling Stokes about the brutalized animal. As Harker himself arrives at the marshal's office demanding his saddle and bridle, a dangerous confrontation looms. Matt must navigate the fine line between legal debt collection and outright cruelty while preventing violence between two determined men.