Two stray horses died Friday night after they were struck by an SUV on Gray Road in Gorham.

When police arrived at the scene, one horse had already died and the second was severely injured to the point that it had to be euthanized, said Gorham police Sgt. Ted Hatch.

The horses got out of their enclosure and into the road at about 7 p.m., after dark, Hatch said. He added the road is a busy highway with a 50 mph speed limit.

Police contacted the owner of the horses and explained the extent of the injuries. The owner gave police permission to euthanize the second horse, Hatch said.

“It was a horrible scene,” Hatch said. “We get car-deer, car-moose crashes, but it’s really different whenever (it’s) a dog, a horse or cat or anything domestic. It just feels different when it’s somebody’s pet. You feel bad for the entire group.”

The horses were struck by a Toyota SUV. Police did not release the name of the driver. Hatch said two people were in the vehicle, which was totaled.

Considering the extent of the damage, Hatch said, it’s lucky the driver and passenger escaped injury.