He decided to give that person a horse with a loan
I know it's a typo but that sounds like an awesome start to a western video game, regardless of how it's interpreted -- either getting a horse and a loan for supplies, a horse that needs to be paid for later, or a horse that took out a loan by some kind of paperwork error and now has more money than you. I'd play any of those.
And also I'm with you, I think the funny jokes about Tom Nook took off into a smear campaign. Having no time limit, interest free, and also being in a world where money is everywhere and literally grows on trees makes it an amazing deal.