South Carolina law enforcement authorities are hoping the public can help them identify whoever is responsible for shooting a horse while it grazed in its Union County pasture.

Union County Sheriff David Taylor said the animal's owner called 911 on May 5 to report that her horse had been shot sometime between Saturday night (May 3) and Sunday morning (May 4). Sheriff's department personnel later found the horse had been shot several times.

“The horse had been shot in the belly and on the left side with what appear to be pellets from a shotgun,” Taylor said. “The gunshots appear to have come from some distance away.”

The Union County sheriff's department is continuing to investigate the incident. But in the meantime, Taylor said the horse is recovering