Law enforcement authorities in Virginia are seeking those responsible for slashing the necks of three horses in Bedford County.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Major Rickey Gardner said that on Jan. 28 the horses’ owner contacted the Sheriff’s Department after discovering the injured animals in their Montvale pasture. All the horses had sustained neck lacerations approximately eight inches long and four inches deep. Sheriff’s Deputies and Animal Control were able to recover some evidence at the scene, he said.

All the horses received veterinary treatment for their injuries and are recovering.

"Fortunately, whoever did this did not know enough to locate the horses’ jugular vein," Gardner said