Attacker stabs pony and horse
Pair were stabbed 27 times in a ‘cruel and sadistic’ attack
A SHETLAND pony and a miniature horse were stabbed a total of 27 times in a “cruel and sadistic” attack in a field in Hinckley.
One of the rescue animals was wounded in the face and head while the second suffered 19 lacerations to its flank, back and neck.
It is the second attack on pet ponies and horses stabled in a field off Harwood Drive by owners Brian Poole and his wife Donna in a matter of months.
Two other ponies belonging to the couple were assaulted with a bot- tle and pelted with stones and eggs in May.
Mr Poole said the latest victims – Daisy, a sevenyear-old Shetland pony, and Tallulah, a six-yearold “little horse” – were found on Wednesday.
He said: “We live nearby and are there every day to muck out, groom and feed and water the ponies.
“When we got there on Wednesday I noticed Daisy and Tallulah were standing apart from the other ponies.
“I noticed a water bucket on the floor and realised something was up.
“When I approached them I could see blood all over the little horse’s face.
“Up close you could see the marks of a knife or blade.
“She’s only got one eye but someone had cut her where her eye used to be. Daisy had blood all down her front and had stab wounds all the way down her side. I was horrified.
“It appears the wounds were caused by a stanley knife. Although they weren’t deep, the animals would have suffered and been in a lot of pain. I can’t believe someone could be so cruel and sadistic to torture such gentle and defenceless animals. It’s absolutely sickening and utterly disgusting.”
Security had been stepped up at the site since the incident in May where Shetland ponies Miss Juliet, 10, and Prince, five, were attacked.
The former sustained cuts on her face and a swollen cheek, with Prince suffering a fractured nose believed to have been caused by a chair being thrown at him.
Mr Poole said: “We put a larger, padlocked gate in but it seems this time they broke into the field by removing a fence panel in the back garden of one of the nearby houses.”
The Pooles have now removed all nine ponies and horses from the field, which they rented from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.
Mr Poole said: “We’ve taken them to another location where they will be safe.
“I suspect it’s a crime of opportunity as few people even knew the ponies were in Harwood Drive until the council advertised the field for sale.
“But they must get some twisted pleasure out of it and that’s really worrying.
“If they could do that to a pony they could do it to a person. Whoever it is they are dangerous and need to be stopped.”
A police spokesman said the incident is believed to have happened between 9pm on Tuesday and 10.15am on Wednesday. He said inquiries are “in the early stages.”