Investigation after body of badly beaten horse found in Wicklow

Gardaí are investigating the discovery of a badly beaten horse’s body in Co Wicklow.

The horse’s body was found in a clearing at Ballymoyle wood, near Kilpatrick, at about 3.15pm by a walker.

A Garda spokesman said last night the investigation was focused on the cause of the horse’s death. He added the Wicklow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had also been informed.

A local source, who was at the scene yesterday, said the horse appeared to be a two-year-old piebald foal.

“I got a phone call to say there was a person out walking in woodlands,” he said, “they noticed a horse tied to a tree.

“When this person notified the authorities and came back, the horse was dead and it looked like it had been beaten to death. There were pools of blood everywhere, and the horse was no longer tied to the tree.

“I went in to see the scene and it was absolutely horrendous. It’s one of the worst sights I’ve ever seen involving man or animal. It had injuries to its mouth, legs, and nose. There was blood splattered on it and there were bloodstains over a wide area of this clearing in the wood.”

He added that there were forensic gardaí at the scene last night.