A horse thief is a person who steals horses.
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The term horse thief came into great popularity in the U.S. during the 19th century. During that time the Great Plains states, Texas, and other western states were sparsely populated and negligibly policed. As farmers tilled the land and migrants headed west through the Great Plains their horses became subject to theft. Since these farmers and migrants depended on their horses, horse thieves garnered a particularly pernicious reputation because they left their victims helpless or greatly handicapped by the loss of their horses. The victims needed their horses for transportation and farming. Such depredation led to the use of the term horse thief as an insult, one that conveys the impression of the insulted person as one lacking any shred of moral decency.
Horse thievery is no longer a common offense and may in fact contain humorous connotations when used, due to being anachronistic. However, when the price of horsemeat is relatively high, some horses are still stolen and shipped to slaughter, particularly those kept in remote rural areas, especially in the western United States.