Hanna ranchers find mare shot dead

A couple in Hanna, Alta., hascontacted police after discovering one of their horses had been shot.

Ryan Hickle was checking on his livestock when he foundthe eight-year-old broodmare, named Cat Silent Delta, dead.

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"I drove up to it and it was lying down in the slough in about a foot of water," he said. "I had a chain with me so I pulled it out and when I got it out onto dry land I noticed a bullet hole in it."

The horse was shot behind her right front shoulder.

"I thought holy smokes, I have to break the news to my wife," he said. "She's upset about it."

RCMPcontacted

Hickle believes it happened Monday night, because neighbours heard a single gunshot and saw an unfamiliar vehicle.

"Someone out in the middle of nowhere, driving aroundfor whatever reason, took the opportunity to practice their shooting," he said. "It was 400 yards off the road, so it would be a high-powered rifle, I'm assuming."

The dead horse's foal, who was nursing, is doing fine, he said.

The couple contacted the RCMP and are urging other ranchers to take a closer look if they find a dead animal.

"I think it's an unsolvable crime, but it's one we need to be aware of," said Hickle.

Hanna is about 215 kilometres northeast of Calgary.