NEW LONDON, WI -- The Waupaca County Sheriff's Office is investigating the alleged sexual assault of a pregnant horse over the weekend, in the Township of Lebanon.
The office received a complaint from a man in rural New London who reported that his horses were acting as if they had been spooked, and found his 5-year-old pregnant mare injured and bleeding.
"[He] went out to check a little further on them, and found that one of his horses--a 5-year-old mare that was actually pregnant--was maliciously vandalized," says Sheriff Brad Hardel.
A local veterinarian called to treat the horse determined it had been injured during a sexual assault, according to the Sheriff's Office. The mare and foal are expected to survive.
The horse's owner believes the assault occurred overnight Saturday or early Sunday.
"There are several residences in that area that have horses," says Sheriff Hardel, adding that the disturbing case has area horse trainers on high alert.
"It's actually really hard to deal with right now," says Stacie Riehl, owner of Legacy Performance Horses, in Shiocton, "you know, we do treat these animals as our companions, and it's just heart wrenching."
Riehl says she doesn't necessarily fear for her horses, which have a few lines of defense between them and any potential threat.
"We lock our doors, horses are in their stalls, and they're hunkered in," says Riehl. "My dogs are like my watchdogs, so they alert us when people come on the property."
But other horse owners don't have tight security, like Riehl, which is why Sheriff Hardel is asking the public for any clues, such as "a car parked, maybe somebody looking suspicious."
The Sheriff's Office reminds horse owners to be vigilant about keeping watch over their horses and to notify local law enforcement if they see something suspicious.
The Sheriff's Office has contacted a person of interest who has a history of sexually assaulting horses, but no one has been taken into custody.
If anyone saw anything suspicious or strange vehicles parked in the area of Crain Road, about a half mile east of Highway T in the town of Lebanon, the Sheriff's Office asks them to contact the office at 715-258-4466.
