In the spring and autumn, all across the country, there are inexplicable and horrific outbursts of horse mutilation. It is rare that anyone is caught or observed committing the acts, the attacks often follow a pattern, and the pattern has been observed for a very long time, in fact through all of recorded history and even before. Despite this it remains a largely overlooked crime that elicits brief bursts of shock if it is reported before it is forgotten again. I became aware