NORWICH – A white Arabian mare who was shot as she stood quietly outside of a Town of Norwich barn is still fighting for her life.
“We really don’t know. The vet said if things don’t straighten out within a month, he doubts it’s ever going to,” said the horse’s owner, Dr. Nick DeRensis.
At around 9:20 a.m. Oct. 19, someone in a passing blue car leaned out a window and fired at the mare as it grazed 60 feet from the roadway off Manley Road in the Town of Norwich.
The shot struck the 27-year-old horse, named Minute, in the upper shoulder area with the bullet shattering into fragments that traveled internally along the animal’s spinal column, making them impossible to remove.
“There is some damaged tissue, minor internal issues, the bullet split up into pieces and hit nothing vital, but you can’t control the infection,” said DeRensis.
Initially medical professionals were not as concerned over the horse’s direct wound, as by the infection it may attract.
Since then, veterinarians have visited the animal multiple times, administering powerful anti-infection drugs and draining the horse’s wound, something DeRensis now says he has to do up to four times a day.
“The wound is draining and washed off about four times a day. She needs to be moving around, but the wound is so ugly it looks like the devil,” said DeRensis, explaining he was concerned about how the horse appeared in the pasture.
“I hate having people drive by and seeing her so messed up, but the wound needs to drain and to do that, she needs to move around,” he said.
If a serious infection continues to set in, DeRensis said it was unlikely that the seasoned horse would survive.
The family is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office reported Wednesday that they were still investigating the matter, but have not made any arrests.
DeRensis was inside the barn less than 100 feet from the mare when she was shot. He saw the culprit’s vehicle speeding away down Manley Road, heading west toward County Route 10A within seconds of the shooting and described the vehicle as a 1980s or 90s model dark blue car.
Chenango County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Richard Cobb said deputies searched the area for the suspect’s vehicle, but were unable to locate it.
“It’s possible that (the horse) may have been mistaken as a deer. We can’t rule it out, but I don’t know how likely that is given the circumstances. It appears to be deliberate,” said the detective.
“You can’t tell me it looks like a deer. She’s completely snow white,” said DeRensis. “That horse has been in that pasture for 20 years. I have no idea why anyone would want to do something like this,” he added.
Deputies said the culprits in the shooting face a number of charges if arrested that include shooting too close to a public roadway and animal cruelty.
Anyone with information in the case should contact the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office at 334-2000, extension 1. All calls will be kept confidential.