CONVICTED (2022) | grand prix dressage rider and horse breeder/trader Sam Duckworth, born July 1980, director of Five Star Stud Ltd, 589 Newmarket Road, Ditton Fields, Cambridge CB5 8PA – convicted of multiple counts of cruelty in relation to five young horses.
Duckworth was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to the three fillies and two colts by failing to investigate and address the cause of their poor body condition and weight loss, and for failing to take steps to meet their needs. He was also found guilty of failing to provide an adequate parasite control plan, required farriery and a suitable diet, and failing to seek veterinary attention in respect of the animals’ poor condition.
The charges applied from December 2020 to January 2021, when the horses were seized by the RSPCA from a site in the village of Wichenford, Worcestershire.
Prosecutor Sara Pratt said that of the five horses, one was owned by Duckworth while the others were entrusted to his care. Sadly, one of the seized horses died in RSPCA care, having become unwell.
Ms Pratt said: “The prosecutions says Mr Duckworth ignored warnings and professional advice given to him.
“He was dismissive of the RSPCA and the advice he was given by RSPCA vets and his own. We find he failed properly to follow advice on feed and worming.”
Ms Pratt said Duckworth also ignored warnings about the horses’ welfare from the provider of the premises where the horses were kept, Melvin Sanders, and part-time employee Lauren Ball.
District judge Ian Strongman said that Mr Sanders was “put upon” by Duckworth to care for the horses.
“[Mr Sanders] did so because he felt for the animals and didn’t want to see them without,” Mr Strongman said.
He added that Ms Ball was highly experienced but only employed for an hour each day, “but she did an awful lot of extra work because she was concerned for the horses’ welfare, and ignored instructions from Mr Duckworth about feeding them,”
Mr Strongman said. “She felt they needed more feed, and but for her, the animals could have been in a worse condition.”
The court heard the horses’ body condition scores were one at 0.5 on the 0-5 scale, three at one and one at 1.5.
Ms Pratt said that Duckworth “displayed what might be called a cavalier attitude to these horses in his care and failed to follow advice given by professionals. ”
She added that his behaviour appeared to be “bordering on arrogance, of knowing better than anyone, so we feel this likely to extend to other animals in his care. He’s simply unable to see his own failings or follow advice.
She concluded: “According to him, he had the financial means to look after the horses but simply chose not to.”
Duckworth’s lawyer, Stuart Jessop, argued that the case was serious but not as serious as many that come before court and that his client was “a man of good character” .
He said his client’s neglect of the horses was not prolonged and there was evidence of “ample hay, bedding and feed”.
He conceded that Duckworth “didn’t attend much” but said this was during Covid, which limited his ability to be on the premises.
Jessop said Duckworth’s only income was less than £1,000 per month from his parents, but Mr Strongman rejected this. He said: “I understand … he had about 100 horses and breeding 60-80 foals a year, which he presumably sells. I find him an unreliable witness and I don’t think anything he could say would change my mind.”
There was dispute over the ownership of the horses but Mr Strongman said that as he had not seen sufficient evidence to suggest otherwise, he ruled that all belonged to Duckworth so a deprivation order was made on them.
Jailing Duckworth, Mr Strongman said: “It’s one of those cases where appropriate punishment can only be achieved with an immediate custodial sentence.”
Speaking about the case, RSPCA inspector and equine officer Suzi Smith said: “As an experienced horsewoman, it is very difficult for me to see any horses in such poor condition, especially for these youngsters who have been given such a poor start in life, when they should have been receiving professional care.
“It is always frustrating when a horse owner does not follow veterinary advice. It’s unacceptable for anyone to cause an animal to suffer, and particularly someone who is responsible for animals in a professional capacity.”
Sentencing | immediate 18-week prison sentence; ordered to pay £68,860 in costs, including the care of the horses since the seizure. Banned from keeping all animals for life and cannot apply to reverse this for five years.