TWO horses have had their legs slashed in a vicious attack.Crown Mint, a six-year-old male thoroughbred, and Waffle, a 14-year-old female cross breed, were attacked as they grazed on land surrounding Braham Hall, in Brantham.

TWO horses have had their legs slashed in a vicious attack.

Crown Mint, a six-year-old male thoroughbred, and Waffle, a 14-year-old female cross breed, were attacked as they grazed on land surrounding Braham Hall, in Brantham.

Both animals suffered cuts to their legs, with Waffle needing four stitches to repair a gash that severed a muscle.

Kesgrave High School teacher Lisa Keeble, 24, who owns Crown Mint, said: "I find it incredulous because I don't understand how anyone could do that. They are two really friendly horses.

"Someone from the RSPCA mentioned it could be some kind of ritualistic attack, because both horses were injured in the same place."

Two weeks on from the attack, which happened between 12.30pm and 3.30pm on July 14, the scars are still clearly visible and Waffle's wound has still not closed.

RSPCA inspector David Mitchell said he was appalled by the attack but is powerless to prosecute the attackers.

"I'm absolutely disgusted about this incident. It looks like the horses have been attacked with a sharp object, possibly a Stanley knife," he said.

"But we've got no witnesses so what can we do? Unless we get someone who can say they saw someone in the field I haven't got a leg to stand on."

Another theory, put forward by the vet who treated the animals, suggested they could have been attacked with a chain or sharp wire.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said today that officers received a call saying two horses had been attacked, and one had suffered cuts.

She said: "A vet attended and said it could have been caused by a bicycle chain. We then referred it to the RSPCA."

Natalie Dryden, 34, a nurse from East Bergholt, who owns Waffle, discovered the injuries when she went to feed her horse with her ten-year-old daughter.

The animals had been grazing in the field for around two months but have since been moved to another farm in Stutton.