THE owner of a young horse shot in the stomach says she fears the animal had been used for target practice.
Heidi Petzing's horse Princess has been left with a scar on her stomach after the random attack.
Another horse was also shot in the neck when an unknown shooter fired on the animals in a field near St Ives.
"What I'm worried about is that the horses have been used for target practice," said Ms Petzing, 40. "Whoever did this is a mindless thug. To cause any animal unnecessary suffering is senseless."
The animals were hit some time between Wednesday, March 20, and Saturday, March 30, in a field near Trevalgan Campsite on the outskirts of the town.
It took a while for Ms Petzing to notice the wound on Princess because the two-year-old filly is still wearing her thick winter coat.
It was only when grooming her that the injury was discovered.
"I was mortified," said Ms Petzing, who owns Rosewall Stud at St Ives with her mother Tulie Richardson. "It's awful – absolutely dreadful."
Ms Petzing said the scar on Princess's stomach would have a long-term impact on the animal and on her business breeding show horses.
"She was bred for the show ring and now she's got a scar so she won't be used as a show horse," she said.
"That's her career over before it's started."
The businesswoman said she had had trouble with people shooting wildlife and horses before and had even put up signs around the site to warn people they would be prosecuted for trespassing.
"I think people might be going up there to shoot rabbits and they've shot the horses to get them out of the way," she said.
Ms Petzing has alerted other horse-owners to keep an eye out for anyone taking pot-shots at their animals.
"We're doing drive-bys at all times of the day to see if we can see anyone up there," said Ms Petzing, who is also a full-time enforcement officer.
"We've asked people who ride around there to keep an eye on the horses as well and we look out for other people's horses too.
"People have shown such support – the camaraderie has been fantastic – but we shouldn't all have to do this for each other."
A police spokeswoman said they could not rule out the possibility of a deliberate attack having been carried out: "We don't know if it was just someone out shooting who wasn't being very careful or if this was intentional."
Officers are also advising those taking part in country pursuits involving shooting to ensure they have permission to shoot on the land, and to be wary of livestock and other animals. Anyone with information about the injuries to the horses is being asked to contact police on 101 quoting crime reference AI/13/256.
