Police in the United Kingdom say that a Shetland pony was killed in a deliberate stabbing attack, its owner said.
On Sunday, someone broke into a pen and attacked the Shetland ponies inside.
One of two ponies that were attacked, Matilda, was stabbed in the neck and is recovering, 24-year-old Khrystinea Farnworth told the Scotsman. But Matilda’s son, Lucas, didn’t survive the attack.
Some of the other ponies received minor injuries.
“It’s disgusting and barbaric. You don’t expect it to happen to you. I still can’t process what has actually happened,” Farnworth was quoted as saying. “We are in the middle of nowhere and have no enemies.”
She said she went out into the field after getting a phone call from a nearby village saying that some of her animals were loose.
“Lucas was lying motionless in the field. I have gone running up to him and the first thing I saw was a stab wound to the side of his neck. I started crying, I didn’t know what to do. I don’t think the slash wounds killed him. I think he has panicked and had a heart attack,” she said. “My niece tracked down Matilda and she also had a massive gash to the side of her neck.”
“The Shetland that died was her son—she’s obviously gone to protect him,” Farnworth told the Lancashire Post.
Police in the area have called on horse and pony owners to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity.
