Johnson County horse died of barbed wire injury, not mountain lion attack

Officials determined that a horse near Cleburne died Monday of wounds suffered from a barbed wire fence and wasn’t attacked by a mountain lion, as initially suspected.

Evidence indicated the horse had become entangled in the fence, according to a statement Wednesday from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Norma Hadley, the mother of the horse’s owner, told the Cleburne Times-Review earlier in the week that the horse appeared to have been attacked overnight Sunday by a mountain lion on their property near Cleburne State Park. The horse, Hank, was found Monday morning with lacerations and what appeared to be claw marks, Hadley said.

A second horse also had scratch marks but survived.

Mountain lions in Texas are often found in the far western areas of the state and in South Texas, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Johnson County horse died of barbed wire injury, not mountain lion attack."