Witches in Sussex have been secretly braiding horse’s manes and tails under cover of darkness for the last two years, and no one is doing a thing about it. From Horsemart.co.uk:

If you’re a horse owner who has found your horse’s mane or tail has been plaited, it could have been done by a white witch, according to Sussex Horse Watch.

“We often get reports from horse/pony owners that they have arrived to attend to their equine to find them with a plait in its mane or tail. All kinds of theories have been put forward, mainly ‘it has been marked for stealing’ well, let me say right here and now that there is no known or reported case of any horse/pony being stolen that has had a plait put in its mane/tail,” said a statement on the Sussex Horse Watch website.

“After studying the various reported cases of plaiting we found that two things stood out.

WELL THEIR MANES AND TAILS STOOD OUT I BET

“Fact one, after having gone several weeks with no reports suddenly it was found that dozens of reports came in within a few days of each other, then die down to nothing again for several weeks.

“Fact two, again studying dates when the plaiting takes place it was discovered that they fitted in with White Witchcraft Festival dates. So one of our members contacted a friend who lives in Somerset and who is a White Witch and put this to her. Below is her reply.

“The first festival is Imbolc on Feb 2nd, Spring Equinox on 20th March, Beltane 30th May, Summer Solstice 21st June, Lughnasadh 31st July – the latter two are masculine festivals and generally honour gods rather than goddesses.”

According to Sussex Horse Watch, the next big festivals on the Pagan Wheel are Samhain 31 October and Winter Solstice on 21 December.

“There may also be other dates when the plaiting happens that are personal to a particular ‘witch’. Full moons may also be used if she is performing a particular piece of magic,” the statement said.

“I understand that it’s worrying for you all but I honestly think that horses are very special to these people and that they would do anything to protect them. Hope that helps. She had already told me, when I said, ‘Why couldn’t they just ASK?’ that to them it weakens the spell if they speak about it. So – I know it’s very, very worrying but if it IS this reason, then the intentions are never ever malicious.”

This is the best thing I have ever heard of. “You can’t ask us,” she said, repeatedly braiding an invisible mane as if by compulsion. “It’s something we have to do on our own.”

Readers in Sussex are invited to share any and all witch-braiding stories they may have heard.

[Image via Unbridled Bliss]