Horse-ripping

Horse-ripping, or horse slashing, is an animal cruelty phenomenon involving serious injuries in horses, often involving mutilation of their genitalia and slashing of the flank or neck.

There were 160 reported incidents in Britain between 1983 and 1993, and 300 incidents in Germany between 1992 and 1998.

It is commonly believed that these attacks are carried out deliberately by people, and generally sexually motivated. Animal welfare officers have also drawn links between attacks on horses and fertility cults. At least one case initially believed to be horse-ripping was shown to have been caused by another horse.

Convictions are rare, though a man has been convicted in the Netherlands for a large number of such attacks on mainly horses and ponies, and also the murder of a homeless person and the attempted murder of several other people.