The loaner of a horse who was found with his “jaw hanging off” after a dog attack and had to be put down despite vets’ best efforts said she cannot understand how anyone could leave him in that state.
Kirsty McMath’s 10-year-old gelding Sunny was on loan for her 14-year-old daughter Casey, and an “absolute superstar”. But he had to be put down at the end of July as the injuries the dog inflicted were too severe.
“The guilt, the sorrow and the anger are just overwhelming,” Kirsty told H&H. “And it’s not just our family, it’s Sunny’s owners too, they’re devastated.”
Kirsty said she turned up at the land she rents on 20 July, to ride, and did not at first realise anything was wrong.
“I brought one in, then went back to find Sunny at the gate,” she said. “His jaw was hanging off and there was blood everywhere. I didn’t know what to do.”
Kirsty called the vet, who stitched Sunny up.
“But they realised he wasn’t going to heal; the tissue was just too damaged,” she said. “The vet said the tissue was breaking down. There was a hole right through so anything he tried to eat or drink just came out. I wanted to save him, he was our boy but it was too much to overcome.”
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Kirsty contacted Police Scotland but has heard nothing about an investigation. She posted on Facebook in an attempt to find out who owns the dog responsible.
“The field next door had just been baled so they must have decided the field was open,” she said. “We’ve got the right to roam here in Scotland but that doesn’t give you the right to do as you please.”
Kirsty said her vet believes the dog responsible must have been of a large breed.
“The fact this dog has taken down a horse; imagine if Casey had been riding him at the time. You hear about dog attacks on sheep and cattle but I’d never heard of a horse being attacked and killed, so I want to raise awareness that this can happen. This was an avoidable incident.”
The other two horses out with Sunny, cob Angus and Irish sport horse Ruby, were relatively unharmed, although Angus had Sunny’s blood on his neck. Sunny also had bite marks, apart from the fatal jaw injury.
“The dog must have been absolutely covered in blood,” Kirsty said. “Sunny’s legs were covered in bites; I can just imagine it, like a lion taking down its prey. The field is in the middle of two housing estates but no one saw anything, except someone across the road who thought he saw a horse with something hanging from his mouth – and it was actually his mouth hanging off.”
Kirsty added that had the owner come forward at the time, she would be less angry.
“But I’m so angry they left him like that,” she said. “They’re not going to come forward; they had their chance and made their decision but their dog has done this – and will do it again.
“We’d only had Sunny two months, and he’s already qualified for the Pony Club areas in jumping. He was so sweet, and that may be why he got the worst of it; he probably wanted to see what was going on, as he just wanted to be near people and be loved.”
A BHS spokesperson told H&H: “We have been very saddened to hear of the passing of Sunny. Receiving reports of dog attacks is always extremely concerning. The BHS safety team continues to offer all our help and support to Kirsty during this very difficult time.”
The spokesperson said the BHS strongly urges owners to keep dogs under control and ideally on leads near horses.
“Even a dog that is used to being around horses could cause a horse to react, resulting in injury to both the horse and those that care for them,” she said.
“Should the worst happen, and you are attacked while riding, try to remain calm and protect young or vulnerable riders if you’re able to. Keep the horse’s head away from the dog and allow the horse to defend itself, you may even have to distance yourself from the dog by riding away.
“Following the event, it is important to take details from the dog owner in case there is a need to follow up the incident and always report any incidents to the police. We also encourage equestrians to record any incidents via our Horse i app, as this allows us to continue to drive awareness of this very crucial issue.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 6.20pm on Saturday, 20 July, we received a report of horses having been attacked by a dog in the Park Road area of Dumfries.
“One of the horses was euthanised following the incident. Enquiries are ongoing.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
