A horse owner is appealing for information after her horse was shot dead in his field in broad daylight in Lingfield, Surrey.

Stacey Mckay found out that her horse, Ghost, had been killed after her friend discovered his body in his paddock last Thursday (26th January). Having checked on the horses at 7.30am that morning, she returned at 3pm to top up their water and found the gelding in his field.

Ghost, a seven-year old Appaloosa X Thoroughbred, was found with several shot wounds to his body including a fatal shot to his head. A post mortem by a vet ruled that Ghost had been killed with an air rifle, at around 10am in the morning.

Stacey described Ghost as a ‘lovely, beautiful boy’ (Pic: Stacey Mckay)

He was living in a field with a herd of eight other horses, including Stacey’s two other mares. Stacey has since removed her horses from the yard and is in the process of finding them a new, permanent home.

Speaking to Your Horse, Stacey said: “This was such a vicious attack. Everyone I’ve spoken to can’t believe what has happened. Ghost was such a lovely boy – he had the kindest soul and I imagine he probably went up to say ‘hello’ to whoever killed him.

“I’ve had him since he was seven months old. He was just beautiful, with a great spirit. It was only a couple of days before that I’d spent the day with him and my other two mares grooming them in the sunshine.

“I just can’t believe that anyone could be so evil. I hope to God they get caught, as people who can do something like this are capable of anything. I want to ask that if anyone knows anything about what happened to Ghost, to please come forward.

Ghost loved spending time in the sunshine (Pic: Stacey Mckay)

Stacey is now looking for a new yard to move her mares to (Pic: Stacey Mckay)

“I just want justice for my boy. I would hate for anyone else to have to go through this.”

Ghost’s death is currently being investigated by Surrey Police. A spokesperson for the force said: “Surrey Police attended a report that a seven-year old horse had been shot dead in Lingfield on Thursday 26 January. The incident happened in a field in New Chapel Road sometime between 7.30am and 2.30pm.

“Officers have been carrying out house to house inquiries in the local area and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has any information about this very distressing incident should contact Surrey Police so those responsible can be brought to justice.

“If you know something about this crime please contact Surrey Police on 101 or you can use the online reporting form found at https://report.police.uk and enter the reference number 45170008996 in the ‘Additional information’ section.

“Alternatively, if you don’t want to leave your name the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111.”