UK Police: Ritual Killing Possible in Horse Death British police say the mutilation and brutal death of a horse may have been the result of a pagan ritual. The body of a 2-year-old stallion named Erik was found earlier this month near the village of Stithians in western England. The horse had had its genitals cut off, an eye cut out and its teeth removed. The animal's disturbing death led to speculation in the British media that the horse had been killed as part of some kind of ritual. Local police said Wednesday that a lot of the information about the horse's death "is unfortunately speculation." But Inspector Chris Strickland says his force is investigating the ritual killing angle "because I can't see any other real motive for doing it."