Horses' tails sliced off in disturbing Pouch Cove crime

A Pouch Cove horse ownersays she had tears in her eyes after she noticed Red,her 14-year-old horse,had its tail choppedoff.

The tailsof three horseskept in a pasture onSatelliteRoad were cut off directly below the bonelast week.

Owner Melissa Metcalfesaid without the tail hair, her horse can't fend off flies.

"[The tail's]good for balance and things like that," Metcalfesaid."Also, when it starts to get cold, he has no protection for warmth in the cold without his tail at all because they like to stick their tails between their legs for warmth."

Metcalfe has bought a fly sheet to keep flies away, a few blankets to keep Redwarm and has ordered a fake horse tail on eBay. She said it takes two years for tail hair to grow back.

"It's not funny whatsoever. I was in tears when I came up," Metcalfesaid, adding she hopes publicity will stop the culprits from doing it again.

Marina Cole, who also keeps her horse in the same field, saidthree out of six of the animals being kept in the field were missing their tails when someone checked on them Thursday evening.

Luckily for Cole, her horse wasn't touched.

Shesaid people regularly visit the horses. So frequently, in fact, that locals have determined the tails were cut off between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. last Thursday.

No known suspects or motive for mutilation

"I'm down there two and three and four times a day, and very few people know the horses are there," she told CBC'sSt. John's Morning Show.

"Whoever did it must have had a sharpknife, it almost looks professional they're so neatly cut. It would have to take a fair bit of strength, I don't think it was youngsters or anything."

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary issued a news release Tuesday, stating police have begun an investigation into the "mischief" occurring on SatelliteRoad.

Police are asking witnesses to come forward.

Cole can only guess as to why anybodywould be so cruel to cut the tails off someone's horses. She said it could be just a prankor perhaps someone wanted the hair to make something like fishing flies or jewelry.

In the meantime, she said, the three horses that were targeted are peaceful and she's not surprised the culprits were able to get so close to them.

"They're used to getting their tail brushed so they would trust the person who did it," she said.

"But you're taking a chance standing behind a horse cutting his tails off, you could get hurt."