Horses thought killed by dogs

Two miniature 5-year-old horses were attacked and killed in Peyton this week, possibly by dogs.

One horse was found in the barn; the other broke through a fence and died in the family’s pasture on Oak Brush Loop, northeast of Homestead Ranch Regional Park.

A miniature donkey injured in Thursday’s attack is expected to survive.

Terri Thames said her family moved to five acres in Peyton three years ago because of the horses, Brianna and Nocona. The sister and brother had been boarded with a relative’s family because the Thames family didn’t have enough land for them in Black Forest.

“We just wanted them to be close to us, so we moved here,” Thames said Friday.

El Paso County sheriff’s deputies think the horses were attacked by dogs or coyotes because of bite marks, especially on their necks, Lt. Clif Northam said.

About 11 a.m. Thursday, Thames’ 20-year-old daughter called her at work to say two unfamiliar pit bulls were in the yard. The horses were found dead two hours later.

Thames said her daughter didn’t see the attack.

It’s unknown who owns the dogs seen on the Thames’ property, Northam said.

There haven’t been other reports of animal attacks in the area.

The family plans to post fliers today at feed stores and other locations to warn their neighbors.

“I’m concerned about children if it was dogs,” Thames said.

Thames, 48, who’s had horses since she was a child, got Brianna and Nocona when they were less than a year old. A medical problem makes it difficult for her to ride horses now, so she thought the miniatures were a perfect fit.

“They’re just nothing but pure love,” she said. “You get real close to them. There’s something about a horse and a girl.”