'˜DISGUSTING': Horses slashed in cruel knife attack

Animal lovers are in uproar after a '˜cruel' attack on two young horses last night. (Warning: story contains graphic images).

The owners of two very young colts rushed to their stables in Forest Town this morning after reports that they had suffered vicious knife attacks.

Rio and Flash, both around one year old, were slashed with foot-long open wounds across their backs after being let out.

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And after the vicious attack, the owners are left wondering how anyone could hurt them in such a malicious manner for no reason.

Flash’s owner Audra Hall was devastated when she saw her horse with an open wound across his back, just above his right leg.

“My daughter was sorting them out this morning when she saw them and phoned us and said ‘the horses have been slashed’,” she said.

“Everything went through my head, and when I saw the horses my heart stopped. How cruel can somebody be?”

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The keen horse-rider bought Rio at only three months old with a view to preparing him for riding.

Her daughter Danielle Hall said she was in a ‘pure panic’ when she first found the horses out of their stables at Forest Town Allotments off Newlands Road,

“Somebody had let them out onto the fields - when I came down I could see he had a gash on his side, and I was in a panic to get them back in.”

Rio’s owner, Leanne Hammond, of 4th Avenue, near the site said her horse is incredibly friendly, and both owners said it was so ‘cruel’ that someone abused their good nature and trust to get close and attack them.

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“They’ve got such good temperaments, they’re usually so friendly and they go up to anyone. They’ve been so calm throughout this.”

Lynne’s husband Johnny was along to help look after the horses while they received treatment.

He said the evidence showed someone had avoided a guard dog at the stables and opened all the gates to let the horses onto the field

He added: “I hope the police catch them before I get my hands on them.”

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Both 11-month old Rio and 14-month-old Flash were sedated and given treatment this morning.

Vet Lorna Sowerbutts of Home Farm Equine said the slashes were deep, cutting through multiple layers of skin and exposing muscle. And as both the locations were the same, this implied the attackers were too scared to get any closer to the animals.

She added: “There could be complications with the healing if the wounds become infected.

“I don’t usually encounter this kind of thing. Animal cruelty isn’t so common because people generally like animals and are aware enough. What’s more common is neglect”, she said, referring to the widespread issue of fly-grazing - the illegal dumping of horses on private land, often as they are moved around the country but also as many are abandoned due to the costs of looking after them.”