A BIG cat is being blamed after a horse sustained injuries near Ross-on-Wye.

Rachel Baugh noticed a deep wound and scratch marks to her bay horse and was told by an expert the injuries could have been caused by a big cat.

Trail marks were also spotted near the stables in Upton Bishop.

“He was sulking around and at first I thought that he had just been in a bit of a scuffle with some of the other horses and that he had been bitten or kicked,” said Rachel.

“But when I walked to the other side I discovered that he had scratches to his back and a deep wound on his rear.

“I phoned the vet and he told me to describe what had happened.

The only thing I could say was that it looked like a big cat attack as I couldn’t think what else it could have been.”

The Hereford Times reported last year about a number of sheep killings near Newtown Crossroads, believed to have been caused by a big cat attack.

Danny Bamping, of the British Big Cat Society, said: “There have been other reports of sightings in the area, but for a big cat to attack a horse is very rare. Horses can be very inquisitive, so it may have approached the cat or the cat may have been defending itself.”