“You start wondering why our horses? Why do they kill horses? But above all, you are angry because they attack defenceless animals.”
Pauline Sarrazin, the owner of a horse killed in June near Dieppe, shared her feelings about her horse’s murder, one of a series of attacks on horses all over France since at least December 2018.
The latest murder took place in Courlans, Jura, becoming the fourth such case in the department since mid-August. Since February of this year, the departments of Seine-Maritime, Moselle, Vendée, Puy-de-Dôme, Eure-et- Loir) have also faced similar brutal attacks on horses.
What do all these cases have in common? Each time a murdered horse was found with an ear cut off, usually the right one.
Same Modus Operandi
In a memo dated 30 June, which was obtained by Le Parisien, the Central Service of Territorial Surveillance (Service central du renseignement territorial, SCRT) specified that there was “a real desire to harm the horses while keeping the ear as a trophy.”
Moreover, “there are questions regarding the persons performing these actions and their true motives: superstition, fetishism, satanic or sectarian rituals, etc.” In addition, the SCRT stressed that the persons involved in these atrocities know how to handle horses.
“The traces found on the horses’ nostrils suggest that a twist was used, a tool that requires special knowledge and skill in handling the horse,” the memo said.
After her horse had been killed, Pauline Sarrazin launched a Facebook group called “Justice for Our Horses,” aiming to “warn horse owners, because unfortunately, this can happen anywhere and anytime.
It affects not only large stables but also people like me who have only one horse,” she said.
Lucile (name has been changed), who joined the group after her friend’s horse was killed in Berny-en-Santerre, Somme, said that all the group members “have questions.”
“We're trying to figure out what might have happened. We thought that perhaps involving all those related to horses will help us get on the track.” Moreover, “it’s known that such cases have been taking place for many years, but the gendarmerie does not react to them. In some cases, the investigation was denied. That is, we have evidence of old attacks,” Lucille said.
“We are all outraged and anxious. We are also furious because no justice is currently being done, at least regarding the cases that have taken place,” she said indignantly.
Pauline Sarrazin agrees with her, deploring the lack of communication from the police.
“I personally spoke to them about my horse three times on the phone. It's not complete silence. It's much worse!” Lucille also said that “the gendarmes speak very little. I get the feeling that they don’t take this seriously.” Nevertheless, Pauline Sarrazin believes that “now they [the gendarmerie] are taking it seriously. But I’m not sure that it’s a priority for them,” she explained.
Protect Horses
While law enforcement has few leads, more and more horse owners are showing solidarity. According to Lucille, some of the group members are considering becoming guards to keep watch on their horses.
The group members also suggested buying video surveillance systems (in particular, those used to watch wild animals) and asking local residents to be vigilant or report suspicious cases to the mayor’s office.
“We are determined to fight against any form of horse abuse,” the FFE chairman said. “Together with the French Horse Protection League (Ligue française de protection du cheval), we want to involve all the players in the French horse industry. I call on everyone to be vigilant so that we can put an end to these atrocities as quickly as possible,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie tweeted the gendarmerie’s recommendations and recalled that “investigations on these disgusting cases of horse abuse are underway.”