Reports that dozens of horses have been maimed and abused over the past few years are likely to be exaggerated, according to vets.

According to police files, at least 76 horses have been attacked by an unknown assailant since 2013, but vets say many of these injuries were probably caused by the horses themselves, the AD reports on Friday.

In particular, mares which are on heat or are competing with another mare are known to injure each other, vet Machteld van Dierendonck told the paper. She estimates around half of the reported injures are inflicted by other horses.

Vet Jan Greve does not believe that any of the cases are caused by humans. Often the injures have been caused by horses hooves, he is quoted as saying. In addition, a human would not be able to overpower a horse to inflict some of the injuries which have been recorded, he told website Horses.nl.

Stab wounds

Animal pathologist Margreet Ploeg, however, said some injuries do appear to be stabbings. ‘A stab wound looks different to one caused by scrapping, even if there is a nail sticking out,’ she told the AD.

In one abuse case, human semen was identified, Ploeg said.

Meanwhile, the police are continuing to investigate the attacks and a ‘number of detectives’ are primarily focused on horse abuse. ‘We carry out forensic research, make inquiries locally and follow a special protocol,’ spokesman Maurice van der Borgh said.