6 more horses found shot and killed in Kentucky after gruesome discovery last week

Ben Tobin | Louisville Courier Journal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Six horses were found shot and killed near a strip mining site, according to the animal rescue group Dumas Rescue.

Dumas Rescue said the six horses appeared to have been killed during the same shooting that killed at least 15 other horses along U.S. 23, WYMT reported.

The other horses' bodies were found early last week. Dumas Rescue posted on Facebook on Sunday evening about the six additional horses.

At least one of the six horses was just 1 year old, according to Dumas Rescue. Another horse was potentially pregnant.

Authorities said it appears the horses were shot with a low-caliber rifle.

"This is very inhumane, and it's a very cruel act of somebody who just apparently had nothing else to do or whatever, just to go back on a strip job and shoot down horses who were, one of them obviously was feeding, had grass in its mouth," Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told WYMT last week. "It looked like a battlefield for just horses."

Hunt said it was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he has ever seen.

Previously reported: 'A very cruel act': At least 15 horses were shot and killed in Kentucky, police say

The culprit could face animal cruelty charges at a minimum, according to authorities. There is a $20,000 reward for information on the incident. Numerous animal rescue and welfare organizations, along with individual donors, contributed funds in hopes of finding answers.

Contributing: Billy Kobin and The Associated Press

Follow Ben Tobin on Twitter: @TobinBen