NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. -- A gator attacked a beloved family horse in Pasco County. Now the horse's owner has a warning about feeding alligators. 

Mike Santo knew something was wrong right away when he came home to his horse named Crown.

"There were bite marks. Claw marks. Two teeth marks that go down his leg," Santo said. 

Santo also saw a deep cut on the horse, and realized it was a gator that attacked Crown while the horse stepped into a pond at a pasture in New Port Richey. 

"On a hot day he'll go in to cool off. Then the gator came in behind him," Santo said.  

State trappers have attempted to get the gator, and traps have been left around the property. 

Santo believes the gator attacked Crown because it was comfortable getting food from people, something he says is a growing problem here in Florida. 

"You don't hear about an alligator going after a horse. It's very unusual," Santo said. "What we think is that it's been fed by people. That gator will come to you from across the pond. That’s unusual for an alligator."

Santo used be a nuisance gator trapper and estimates this gator to be about 10 feet long. 

As for Crown, he now has to undergo intense treatment to fight infection, taking 35 pills twice a day, plus injections. He is expected to make a full recovery. 

"I love this horse. He's my buddy. He's been good to my family," Santo said. 

Santo has had the horse for 18 years. Crown is 21 and was a race horse until he was 3.  The recovery will take about 10 months. 

Santo started a Go Fund Me page for the horse due to expensive medicine.

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