Three horses have died and three others have been injured following attacks at Schockemöhle stud farm in Germany.
Police are investigating following the incidents, involving predominantly pregnant broodmares, between 11 September and 11 October.
“At our stud farm, serious incidents have occurred in which several of our horses on the outer pastures were severely injured and tragically died,” said a Schockemöhle stud spokesperson today (21 October).
“The police have been intensively investigating this case for a long time. Based on the explicit recommendation of the investigating authorities, we are now appealing to the public in order to reach potential witnesses and gather further information.”
The spokesperson added that the “loss of our horses and the circumstances of their deaths have left us deeply devastated”. The stud has offered a €10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator(s).
“This makes it all the more important to us that these events are fully investigated and resolved,” he said.
“We thank everyone who supports us in this investigation and can assist with information.”
A police statement today said the Schwerin criminal police inspectorate and public prosecutor’s office are conducting extensive investigations.
“Numerous employees of the affected stud farm will be questioned today,” read the statement.
“A total of six horses have been attacked so far, three of which have died. The affected horses were predominantly pregnant broodmares with a value of several tens of thousands of euros.”
The statement added that police are investigating “on suspicion of violations of the Animal Welfare Act and property damage”.
A police spokesperson told H&H that due to the ongoing investigation no further details could be provided, but confirmed the incidents took place between 11 September and 11 October, “predominantly at weekends”.
Anyone with information or who witnessed unusual activity around the stud’s pastures in recent weeks is asked to contact Schwerin Police (0049 0385 51804801 or by visiting https://portal.onlinewache.polizei.de/de/).
- To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website