Police horse injured by broken bottle thrown at football match
A police horse was left with a three-inch cut after bottles and stones were thrown by troublemakers at football match.
Members of the Thames Valley Police (TVP) mounted section, were attacked by fans from the match between Oxford United and Millwall FC on Tuesday (2 February).
One of the horses, Odin, suffered a three-inch cut to one of his hindlegs after he was hit by a broken bottle, which had been thrown. His rider was uninjured.
A bottle was also smashed over police horse Mallory and his rider.
Odin was the only casualty from the Oxford Millwall disorder.He has a 3" cut to a rear leg.He'll be fine.
PS3481 pic.twitter.com/QTMZKeXwX5Odin was the only casualty from the Oxford Millwall disorder.He has a 3" cut to a rear leg.He'll be fine.
PS3481 pic.twitter.com/QTMZKeXwX5— TVP Mounted Section (@TVP_horses) February 3, 2016— TVP Mounted Section (@TVP_horses) February 3, 2016
“I am very disappointed in the behaviour towards the horses of the minority who call themselves football fans,” said Sgt Spencer Kervin, head of the TVP mounted section.
“Officers on the horses have a job to do, and I don’t expect to come under attack from bottles and stones as a result of them trying to keep the peace.”
Police have arrested eight people in connection with disorder at the football match, which took place at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.
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Twitter users have taken to the social networking site to show their support and well wishes to the horses and officers involved.
“Unfortunately we had a sizeable number of people who associate themselves with Millwall and Oxford Football Clubs who had clearly come to the game to only cause trouble,” said local police area commander Christian Blunt.
“We were forced to deal with a number of disorderly incidents which included serious violence.
“This kind of behaviour is not acceptable and will be dealt with robustly. I have instigated a post match investigation and I expect a large number of arrests to be made in the coming weeks.
“If you are identified as being involved in the trouble last night then expect a knock at the door soon.”
He added that it is a “great shame” that these individuals ruin football matches for genuine supporters.
Police are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to contact them on 101.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.