'Suffering greatly': RCMP investigate after pet horse shot on Vancouver Island

A Vancouver Island family is reeling and looking for answers after someone shot their beloved pet horse.

"What could somebody [have] been possibly thinking to do this?" said Shannon Cairns, one of the horse's owners.

The incident happened sometime in the early morning hours of Sunday at a farm on Cedar Road, just south of Nanaimo.

The retired show jumping horse, named Cash, was in his mid-20s and was found by one of his owners with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder after Cash didn’t come for his breakfast.

"Our dad was concerned and went down to look for him and found him with a gunshot wound," said Cairns.

The family immediately called Cash’s vet and the Ladysmith RCMP.

"The RCMP came first and helped us take care of him," said Cairns, as police made the tough decision to put down the horse.

"He was suffering greatly," she said.

Cash the horse is shown. (Shannon Cairns)

The family does not believe that someone was illegally hunting on their property, which is fenced, and mistook Cash for a deer or elk.

The bullet that was fired into Cash was lodged very deep inside and his owners think he was intentionally shot at close range.

"It’s terrifying," said Cairns. "You wonder if you’re safe, or your kids or your other animals or people around."

The Ladysmith RCMP were unavailable for comment but the family says police are investigating and that anyone with information should contact the Ladysmith RCMP detachment at 250-245-2215.