YOBS used antiseptic spray to paint offensive words on a horse after breaking into a stable yard.

Mollie Savage, 20, noticed her tack room had been destroyed as she arrived to visit her horse Marley, who is kept in a yard off Haven Road, Canvey.

Horse feed and ointments had been thrown about, with other equipment strewn around the room.

Miss Savage, who lives on the island, said: “Marley’s stable door was open and at first I thought he had been stolen. It was awful.

“I just panicked and starting crying.”

She called the yard owner, who rushed to the scene.

Marley was soon spotted in a nearby field.

He was uninjured, but offensive words had been sprayed on his body in purple spray - a type of antiseptic used by horse riders for treating wounds.

Miss Savage, who works as a kitchen team leader, said: “I was gobsmacked. I couldn’t believe someone would do that.

“I have had Marley from when he was six weeks old and he is now two-and-a-half.

“I rescued him. He had worms and was underweight when I first got him.

“I worked so hard to get him from what he was to how he is now.”

Miss Savage has so far been unable to get the purple paint off Marley, but she is hopeful it will fade over time.

She estimates the cost of replacing everything broken or wasted in the break-in, believed to have taken place overnight, will reach about £100.

She believes she was personally targeted, as no other stables in the yard were vandalised.

The incident was been reported to police.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Police are appealing for witnesses after a horse was spray painted with an offensive word.

“It took place overnight on Sunday, November 27 at a stable yard in Haven Road, Canvey.

“The horse was let out of its stable and food and other items were thrown around the tack room.

“Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or people can also give information anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by filling in the online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.”