A decapitated pony found in Marsa yesterday had been neglected for months, horse-racing enthusiast Joe Zerafa believes.

On site just moments after the morning’s gruesome discovery, Mr Zerafa, an active member of the Malta Racing Club, said it was evident the animal had not been properly cared for in months.

“The pony’s coat had not been brushed in months, as it was all tangled, and it had no hooves. It was very clear its owner had not cared for the animal in a long time,” he said.

Animal Welfare director Noel Montebello told the Times of Malta that the theory was that the horse had been killed at another site and transported to the old Marsa track behind the Cini petrol station.

The police found the pony outside the old track after somebody raised the alarm, he said. The state of the body, especially the animal’s skin, indicated that it had not been dead long before it was discovered.

Pointing to the horses in makeshift stables close by, Mr Zerafa said it was evident that the pony had not participated in any races recently.

The animal’s muscles, he pointed out, appeared to be weak, unlike those of horses regularly used in races.

Since electronic chips were inserted in horses’ necks, identifying the owner could prove to be a difficult, unless the head was found, Mr Zerafa said. All racing horses and those not born in Malta have to be microchipped, and investigators believe the pony was decapitated so its owner would not be traced.

Asked if he believed the animal had been killed on the spot, Mr Zerafa said the amount of blood found by the pony’s body suggested it had been killed elsewhere.

“It seems as though the pony was just dumped here. It’s incomprehensible how someone could do something this cruel.

“A lot of effort was put into killing the poor animal, and unless the owner had found it dead, it would have suffered,” Mr Zerafa said. He added that had the owner found his animal dead, he could have easily taken it to the slaughterhouse and got rid of it in a more humane way.

“Animals die. It’s not the first time someone has found a dead horse, but that doesn’t mean you can just tie it up and dump it anywhere,” Mr Zerafa said.

The site near the Marsa racetrack where the decapitated pony was found by the police yesterday morning after a tip-off. Photo: Steve Zammit Lupi