TWO young people with learning disabilities have been ‘traumatised’ after the goats and sheep they care for at a therapy farm in the New Forest were attacked by yobs.

The small herd of Anglo-Nubian goats at Old Bells Farm in Hordle were sprayed with purple antiseptic, along with some of the sheep living there and three horses, including one who is aged 30, were repeatedly chased round their field.

Farm owner Ann George, who cares for the two young adults with Asperger’s and autism who live and work on the smallholding with her said the attack is believed to have happened late on Sunday afternoon.

“I went to put the goats to bed and was amazed to find they were purple,” she said. Further investigation revealed that the attackers had also vandalised a barn, drawing obscene images and writing what she believes could be their own names on the structure’s walls.

Her son-in-law, Gregory Finch, said: “In the earlier afternoon one of the young people went down to check on the goats and they were fine then. God knows what would have happened to her if she’d gone down on her own and been confronted by the people doing this.”

He said the attack had traumatised both students. “One will not recover for a long time because it is such a shock,” he said.

The family were also having trouble calming the horses who they believe were chased round their field and now were nervous even of their owners.

“People have said ‘oh it’s only a bit of spray’ but this is special stuff that we used to treat minor injuries and fly-strike (a disease which affects small farm animals) and it wil stay on their coats for months.”

His mother-in-law said the animals were distressed as they had been chosen for their placid natures and ease of handling for the students.

Along with the two residential students the farm caters for young people visiting from schools. “It’s going to have a knock-on effect on them because many wil find the sudden change in the animals really hard to cope with,” said Mrs George.