Horses Attacked, Waltham Abbey, Essex

I'm not sure if my pony was attacked too. She is in the Chelmsford area. Last week we found that the other two horses (who she gets along with very well and is used to) had broken into her paddock early hours in the morning and she had a huge slash across her left thigh about 14 inches long. Other horses seemed fine. It looked like those in the pictures on the news article. I went and had a look at all the fences and branches for hair or skin but couldn't find anything she could have cut herself on. It's too big to be a bite and too clean cut to be a kick! I covered her up with a fly rug to keep flies off and it's healed really well, but at the back of my mind I'm now worried she could have been attacked/marked and the other horses broke in as she was in distress. Lets hope it was a branch or another horse!!
 
With one slash like that my first thought would be accidental injury and I'd be looking for where/how it could have happened. The same slash on several horses, especially if it happened on the same night, is another matter entirely...
 
Yes that's why I'm not sure, was a very clean cut though and completely out of the blue as she has been in that paddock for a few weeks. We are keeping an eye out :)
 
This is not far from where we keep our boy and everyone in the area is very worried now. We were told the day after it had happened as a girl who shares at our yard also rides at woodredron, but the owners had told the children it had been accidental as to not worry them, but obviously this is not the case. The horses were out at night and it seems someone has got to them through the forest that leads to their fields. Poor horses, very worrying at the moment :(
 
Sick barswards:mad::mad:



Makes me angry, can't offer any advice except.

Be vigilant, do spot checks to the field, everyone take it in turns.


look for any tyre treads or foot prints (take photos of these)

ask the houses which over look the fields/ stables to be vigilant and explain what is going on.


don't turn them out if you can, or if you have too put a rug on now while raining to help protect them.

Take the head collars off even bad to catch ones



• One of the first things is make sure you have a good strong gate, make sure the padlock is good and strong also .
•make sure the gate cannot be lifted up and off its hinges. You can achieve this by placing another padlock around the lower part and the gate post.
•The bottom hinge should be reversed. to secure the gate more.
 
I'm not sure the horses are being marked for theft, although do believe the horses have been cut deliberately. One of my own horses was found in the wrong field a good few weeks ago now, with a long clean cut on her front leg. The fence between fields was broken, a wooden post, the electric was still attached. Nothing she really could have cut the leg on, but who knows. In 14 years, she has never gone through a fence before, but first time for everything. Strange place for someone to deliberately cut her though.
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TheresaW said:
I'm not sure the horses are being marked for theft, although do believe the horses have been cut deliberately. One of my own horses was found in the wrong field a good few weeks ago now, with a long clean cut on her front leg. The fence between fields was broken, a wooden post, the electric was still attached. Nothing she really could have cut the leg on, but who knows. In 14 years, she has never gone through a fence before, but first time for everything. Strange place for someone to deliberately cut her though.
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ouchie :( how is she doing now??
 
How dreadful. It does look like a deliberate attack, assuming the press story's correct. :(

The idea of being "marked for theft" is pretty daft in this case though. I'm dubious that marking for theft happens at all, but certainly no-one would attack a horse they later intend to steal for profit surely? By doing so they would have made the animals less likely to trust when they come back for them, reduced their value and marked them in a way which instantly identifies them as the stolen horses. It really makes no sense whatsoever to think that.
 
One thing that occurred to me, is if they are marking horses this way with gouges in them. Surely it would attract attention from passes bye/ vets/ Rspca etc. Which is not what they want,. Also would it not make the horse less saleable as at markets it Is often monitored by RSPCA/ police etc?

And more likely someone will spot it so making the horse hotter, so less viable to sell. Also surely it would scar and also bring cost down.



On the other hand for the worst case they would not care about scarring.
 
Leviathan said:
One thing that occurred to me, is if they are marking horses this way with gouges in them. Surely it would attract attention from passes bye/ vets/ Rspca etc. Which is not what they want,. Also would it not make the horse less saleable as at markets it Is often monitored by RSPCA/ police etc?

And more likely someone will spot it so making the horse hotter, so less viable to sell. Also surely it would scar and also bring cost down.



On the other hand for the worst case they would not care about scarring.
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Those are the reasons I would think its highly unlikely they were being marked for theft. My best guess is that it's low life's who are getting their kicks hurting the horses.
 
TheresaW said:
Those are the reasons I would think its highly unlikely they were being marked for theft. My best guess is that it's low life's who are getting their kicks hurting the horses.
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I think this too, hopefully this will be the end of it but these people seem to get a kick out of it and once won't be enough, I'd dout they will get caught and now everyone's worried what's going to happen next.
 
Leviathan said:
One thing that occurred to me, is if they are marking horses this way with gouges in them. Surely it would attract attention from passes bye/ vets/ Rspca etc. Which is not what they want,. Also would it not make the horse less saleable as at markets it Is often monitored by RSPCA/ police etc?

And more likely someone will spot it so making the horse hotter, so less viable to sell. Also surely it would scar and also bring cost down.
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Exactly my point. If you wanted to mark for stealing, you'd do it discreetly in a way the owner wouldn't be likely to spot.

It looks more like some twisted people taking pleasure out of hurting the poor horses. :(
 
Received this email this morning.

Hi

I’m sorry to have to inform you that Woodredon EC have had another attack on some of their horses. After keeping the horses in at night following the last attack a decision was taken to put some out that are known to be difficult to catch or get near. The next morning one was found with a slash to its side similar to the injuries previously seen and another had a smaller cut, presumably because the horse got away before a more serious cut could be carried out. The Police are now actively involved and although it would be good to catch the person/s involved it is more important to get these very nasty incidents stopped. If you should hear anything at all about the incidents please either contact Essex Police on 101 or Woodredon on 01992 714312, thank you.
 
This is dreadful, I don't understand how can do this! Problem with some of their fields though, is that they are accessible from the other end over a bridge I seem to remember. I would be putting my horses out, then staying and watching ready to catch the perpetrators. Hope the sick people responsible for this get what is coming to them.
 
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