NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Horse Found With Skull Split By Ax

Horse Found With Skull Split By Ax

ADAMS, Tenn. -  A horse in Robertson County was treated for injuries it received after someone hit the animal in the head with an ax.

Veterinarian Dan Hitch treated Fancy, the horse, when it was brought to the Robertson County Animal Clinic Wednesday morning.

"It's unfortunate," Hitch said. "It's an awful thing. No creature deserves that kind of treatment."

Someone slammed the ax in the head, between its eyes.

Hitch worked quickly Wednesday to pull the tobacco ax free and sew up the wound.

"It was a 1/4 to 1/2 inch into the skull itself," Hitch said.

The animal is expected to recover.

"They gave her stuff to make her sleep," said owner Sheila Wilborn.

Wilborn said she doesn't understand why someone did this to her animal.

"I mean someone came by with a tobacco hatchet and said let's kill a horse today. This was planned," Wilborn said.

Sgt. Tom Ryan of the Robertson County Sheriff's Office said he is trying to find out who attacked the horse.

"I've never seen anything like this," Ryan said.

Wilborn said she and her family would love to stay home and nurse Fancy back to health, but they can't as long as the assailant is at large.

The Wilborns will keep Fancy at a boarding facility until authorities find out who committed the crime.

If caught, the attacker could face felony cruelty charges.

The ax didn't damage the horse's brain. Hitch said she could have died if the weapon hit a major nerve, which the ax just missed.

If anyone has information about this crime, they should call the Robertson County Sheriff's Office at 384-7971.