CONVICTED (2018) | Jessica Coffey aka Jessica Austin, born c. 1992, of The Corners, Weaverham, Northwich CW8 3EG – severely neglected a young horse in her care.
Coffey pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animal Welfare Act June 26, 2018, after her young cob called Texas was left in such a horrific state that RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said it was ‘one of the worst cases of equine neglect’ that he had ever seen.
Texas was weak due to a lack of food and also had a prolapsed penis which had become badly infected. He also struggled to stand up in the muddy field where he was kept in Brimstage Road, Wirral.
Inspector Joynes attended the scene on January 2, 2018, after a concerned member of the public contacted the RSPCA.
He said: “When I attended, Texas was wearing a rug, which was hiding his poor body condition, but even with that on I could see immediately he was emaciated.
“His penis was prolapsed and there was obviously a problem there.
“I could see it was sore and swollen and it got in that terrible state due to his starvation.
“Also the field he was in, along with another cob called Spice, was appalling.
“It was muddy, there was no grass, there was no natural shelter and nowhere for the horses to lie down and rest.
“Then when I took his rug off I just stood there in shock at how underweight and lethargic he was – it really saddened me.
“The other horse, called Spice, was a more hardy breed and his weight was much better although the conditions he was kept in were not.”
With the help of the charity World Horse Welfare, Texas was rushed for treatment at Leahurst Equine Hospital in Liverpool where great efforts were made to try and save him.
He was so weak he collapsed in the horse box while on his way to the centre and staff had to help carry him in.
Texas was given a variety of medication, including a plasma treatment, but by the second day his condition had deteriorated so badly that the vet decided, because of his suffering, there was no choice but to put him to sleep.
Inspector Joynes added: “It was appalling failure that no help was sought for Texas when it was quite obvious he was in such suffering state.
“I know Coffey went to the field on New Year’s Day and if she had alerted us to his state then we might have been able to save him.
“We really did everything to try help him pull through and it is so sad that he did not make it as he was such a lovely boy.”
Rachel Andrews, a field officer from the charity World Horse Welfare, went to assist Inspector Joynes during the rescue.
She said: “Without a doubt he was one of the most emaciated horses I’ve ever seen.
“His bones stood out with literally no coverage of fat whatsoever and I have no idea how he was strong enough to stay standing up. He looked absolutely pitiful with his head hanging low and was clearly in extreme pain from his swollen sheath, we knew we had to get him out of there as soon as possible.
“He received the very best emergency treatment but sadly it was just too late and the decision was made to put him to sleep, ending his terrible suffering.
“I’m always extremely sad when a horse is put down but with Texas I felt it more than usual. He was such a sweet boy and I just wish we had been alerted to his plight a few days earlier in case we could have saved him.”
Sentencing | 150 hours of unpaid work; £1,100 costs. Deprived ownership of Spice. Six-year ban on keeping horses (expires June 2024).