The horses were in the water when the riders say a pit bull came up and bit them.
In this News 8 video story, Jeff Zevely has details of the attack, and the latest on the condition of the horses.
[Not much text to the story. I paraphrased some of it below after watching the video clip...]
It happened this afternoon. The horses were in the water when a pit bull came up and attacked.
They said they had just taken a wonderful ride with their horses along the beach here on Fiesta Island - which is legal - and had just taken the horses into the water to cool down when they say this pit bull came charging out of nowhere at them.
"It was just terrifying. and it seemed to go on for so long. There was no one around."
"My first reaction was that the dogs were coming after us... I've never had a dog lock eyes on me like that before... I've had dog all my life and I've never experienced anything like that..."
After one of the riders kicked the dog away from her, the dog re-directed onto one of the horses. The dog sank its teeth into the mare's neck and was hanging off the horse. It also tore into the horses' chest.
Animal Control officer says the owner is Cody Becker of Pacific Beach. In the video clip, he won't talk on camera but goes over and shakes the hand of the husband of one of the horse owners. He apparently said he was sorry and told them "he had no inkling that his dog was violent."
Fiesta Island is a leash-free area and Animal Control officers say horses and dogs can make for a dangerous mix. [Hmm, I'd say pit bulls and horses don't mix...]
(CBS 8 - Sept 30, 2011)
