CONVICTED (2023) | farrier and serial animal abuser Scott David Manson, born 7 February 1989, of 7 White Cross Cottages, Bridstow, Ross-on-Wye HR9 4JU – struck a horse nine times with a hammer during a “barbaric, unprovoked and prolonged attack”.
Company director Scott Manson, who provides farrier services to Cheltenham Racecourse, entered a guilty plea to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal when he appeared before magistrates in Cheltenham in a case brought by the RSPCA.
The court heard from the prosecutor that Manson had caused unnecessary suffering to a male grey Arab horse in Churchdown, Gloucestershire, on April 1, 2022.
The court heard that Manson lost his temper while shoeing the horse and used his hammer to repeatedly strike him. Manson hit the horse, who was tied up, nine times during the “prolonged attack” that lasted six and a half minutes.
An RSPCA spokesman said Manson initially claimed the horse had broken his hammer in a picture message sent to the owner, but wondering why the usually “docile” horse would have reacted in such a way, the owner decided to view the yard CCTV.
“The footage showed Manson adopting an aggressive stance, and striking out with his hammer in his hand at the horse’s front legs,” said the spokesman.
“Upon checking the horse, the owner could see his right front leg was bigger than usual and there were various marks on both front legs and around the shin area. The hair had also been taken off and the shin exposed.”
RSPCA prosecutor Lindi Meyer set out the specialist equine vet’s conclusions for the court.
She said: “[Manson] repeatedly beat the horse around the forelimbs where there is very little in the way of soft tissue covering and as such the blows were almost directly to the bone. This would have been incredibly painful for the horse and the farrier is very fortunate not to have caused fractures of any of the limbs.”
“The horse was hit nine times viciously in a six-and-a-half-minute video attack which left it with soft tissue swellings and cuts to the limbs. The attack was unprovoked, unacceptable and completely unnecessary and has caused this horse to suffer from both physical and psychological harm.”
Ms Meyer added that “the abuse falls far below” what is expected of a human dealing with horses, “let alone a professional farrier who has been entrusted by the owners to take care of the horse”.
“At no point was the farrier trying to teach the horse to stand still, pick its feet up or any other action. The actions were simply to beat the horse out of anger, a short temper, or frustration,” she said.
“Whatever the reason, the actions were so barbaric and cruel that the farrier broke the head off a hammer on to the sensitive areas of the front limbs of the horse.”
The court also heard that following the incident, the horse was reluctant for his owners to touch or brush his legs and when a new farrier came out the gelding was given sedatives from the vet to keep him calm on two occasions. He was also reluctant to go in his stable and was wary of people for a time, but is now “back to normal”.
In mitigation it was said Manson is remorseful, and that he was stressed and was visiting his dying mother in Scotland twice a week at the time.
Sentencing (20 March 2023) | 12-week suspended prison sentence. 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days. £400 costs and £128 victim surcharge. 10-year ban on owning animals or having any contact with them with no right of appeal.
Additional Information
In April 2021 Manson was suspended from the professional register of the Farriers Registration Council. His suspension came after a criminal conviction in June 2019 for causing fear of violence to an ex-partner, contrary to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, told to undergo 30 days of rehabilitation activity and was also made subject to a restraining order.
*The committee was also told of a warning issued to Manson by the FRC investigating committee over an incident in 2017, which resulted in the death of a dog and was connected to the incidents that led to his conviction.
During police interview Manson described picking up a dog and throwing her out of a car. The dog suffered a fracture of the pelvis and subsequently died;
Manson described the incident as an unfortunate accident.
Manson was suspended from the register on 22 December 2020 for six months.
Gundog Breeding and Training
Bloodsports enthusiast Manson also breeds and trains English springer spaniels for hunting/shooting under the name Falconforge Gundogs Springers.
Update | August 2023
Following an unsuccessful appeal, Scott Manson has been disqualified from keeping or working with all animals for ten years.
Kevin Withey, for the prosecution, told the appeal hearing that Manson accepted he should be banned from having anything to do with horses but was appealing against the ban covering “all animals” because he has seven dogs and seven chickens at his home.
Withey said that Manson had lost his temper while shoeing Buddy and had used his hammer repeatedly to strike the horse. He explained that Manson had been a farrier for 12 years, having taken over the family business, and had built up a large clientele. He had worked as a contractor at Cheltenham racecourse.
“Manson was returning to stables in Churchdown in Gloucester to shoe two horses, having been there a number of times previously, but at lunchtime he contacted the owner by sending a text picture message, claiming one of the horses had broken his hammer,” Withey told the court.
“The owner apologised to Manson and offered to pay for a replacement hammer. However, when the owner returned later it was noticed that Buddy was behaving out of character. The horse was said to be “foot shy” and not his usual self.
“The owner began to wonder why this usually docile horse would have reacted in such a way and decided to view the stable yard’s CCTV.
Manson was seen adopting an aggressive stance, striking out at the horse with his hammer, hitting its front legs at least nine times.
“The owner then carried out an examination of Buddy and saw that his right front leg had swollen along with various marks on both front legs and around the shin area. The hair had also been taken off and the shin exposed.
“The owner immediately called for a vet, who delivered medical treatment. The owner then reported the incident to the RSPCA.”
Withey said that it was not the first time Manson had lost his temper with an animal. A dog, which was a family pet, had been thrown out of a car. The dog sustained a fractured pelvis and ultimately had to be put down.
The court was also told that Manson had been convicted of harassing his former partner in 2019 and was sentenced to a 24-week prison term, suspended for 24 months.
In light of that conviction, Manson was suspended from the professional register of farriers for six months.
Dr Suzanne Green, an expert in equine matters, said the attack would have been very painful for the horse as there was very little soft tissue covering the areas which had been hit by Manson, and the blows would have hit the bone. The court heard the horse has since made a full recovery.
The court was shown five video clips of the “unprovoked and barbaric” attack and was told that Manson made full admissions when he was interviewed by the RSPCA but had tried to suggest that the horse had been misbehaving.
Cynthia McFarlane, defending, said: “Manson is completely remorseful. The attack on Buddy, while unacceptable and completely unnecessary, has not had any lasting effect. Up to this point in his career Manson had been the ultimate professional.”
McFarlane said her client had now lost his career and was employed as a ground worker.
Judge Ian Lawrie KC, sitting with the magistrates Margie Doble and Siobhan Young, told Manson that he needed to address his temper in future.
In addition to the ten-year ban on keeping and working with any animals, Manson was sentenced to a 12-week suspended prison term. He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay £528 in costs and surcharges.
Source: The Times 21 August 2023