Police appeal after horse shot in head
Police in Wiltshire are appealing for information after a mare was shot in the head in her field.
The 10-year-old survived the shot, but her owners — Tom Hanlon and Mark Hope from High Hope’s Stud — are searching for the culprit.
The broodmare — Lordships Dimension, known as Darcy — was out grazing at High Hope’s Stud near Marlborough last week (Tuesday 7 October) when she was found with a wound beneath her eye.
When she was treated by vets it was found to be a shot wound, caused by a rifle.
“She was checked on at around 2pm,” Mark Hope from the stud told H&H.
“But at around 6pm one of the grooms spotted her and she had blood on her face.
“She had been shot just under the eye. The shot shattered the bone in her nasal cavity, but she was very lucky — had it gone in her eye she would have died.”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
He said he was unsure whether the shot was deliberate or an accident.
“Either way we’re very concerned,” he added.
The 10-year-old is by former dressage world champion Dimaggio.
PC Jeff Rice from the Rural Crime Team at Wiltshire Police added: “The bullet actually entered her skull and it was very fortunate that she wasn’t killed.
“At this stage we don’t believe this was a targeted attack but possibly a poaching related incident with the horse having been caught by a stray shot.
“The owners are understandably concerned for the safety of both the animals and staff who work in and around the area and we’d like to hear from anyone who knows anything about the incident.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact PC Rice on 101 or e-mail ruralcrimeteam@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.