Tag Archives: World Horse Welfare

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, Hoarders, horses and ponies, Lifers, Worst of the Worst

Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire: Dianne Pearson

May 2, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Dianne Pearson, born c. 1953, from Sowerby Bridge – for cruelty offences to 10 horses, many of whom were put to sleep.

RSPCA prosecution of Dianne Pearson from Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, for cruelty to 10 horses in her care.

Concerns about Pearson’s horses were raised with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare in April 2023, and officers went to the scene in the village of Norland, Sowerby Bridge. There they discovered 10 horses and ponies kept in cramped, dirty stables and building. Faeces and soiled bedding had built up to the extent that the horses were struggling to stand.

Some of the horses had difficulty walking due to lameness while many were suffering from dental issues and other health problems. One horse was so thirsty he drank readily from a bucket of water when offered to him.

In her witness statement, RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby said all the horses were being kept in unsuitable conditions.

“There was no ventilation and very limited lighting inside,” she said. “All the stables were piled high with bedding and faeces and it was clear they had not been mucked out in some time. The bedding inside all the stables was piled so high that most of the horses’ heads were touching the roof. There was no water inside any of the stables.”

She added: “During our visit, Pearson admitted that Bud had not been out of his stable for two years and it took her over 10 minutes to dig the muck from behind Ellie’s stable door before she could open it and get her out. It also took her some time to dig out another horse called Rio.”

Rescuers had to dig their way into some of their stables owing to the build-up of soiled bedding and faeces.

Four horses were removed that day and six the next; all were examined by an equine vet, whose witness statement said: “In my opinion the environmental conditions these horses were found in were completely and wholly unsuitable.

“Many of the stables were in complete or mostly in darkness and most had little ventilation.This meant that when some of the horses reached the boarding establishment, they found normal visual things extremely stressful, and one horse had to be medicated for this. This shows the psychological suffering caused to these horses.

“The owner failed to take steps to meet the needs of these animals, and this has caused suffering in all of the horses due to the poor and unsuitable environments, and five out of 10 of these horses due to ailments observed.”

Pearson signed six horses over to the care of the RSPCA. After the case a deprivation order was secured so the remaining four came into the charity’s care.

After the case, Ms Hodby said: “I am so pleased to see Fern, Cody, Inca and JJ are thriving with our team at RSPCA Felledge, and delighted to hear that Tilly and Finn have already found their forever homes.

“This was a really sad case to work on and to see ponies kept in such awful conditions was heartbreaking. I’d like to say thank you to our colleagues at World Horse Welfare for their assistance in the rescue and investigating. Working together with other agencies allows us to reach more horses and ponies that need our help and make a big difference to animal welfare.”

Vets made the decision to put Bling, Bud, Ellie and Rio down for health reasons.

World Horse Welfare field officer Gilly Howard said: “Having been shut in those small and dirty stables for so long, Tilly was a very nervous pony and especially difficult to catch. But our amazing team at Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Lancashire are working with her to gain her trust and the conclusion of this case means that she can be assessed with a view to finding her a forever home.”

Pearson’s age and her early guilty pleas were considered in mitigation, and it was agreed that although she “feels no particular remorse for the suffering occasioned to her horses”, she “does feel a sense of sadness and believes she always tried her best”.

“The defendant has come to accept that she doesn’t want any of the horses returned to her. She has no desire to keep horses in the future.”

Sentencing | 20-week suspended prison sentence for each of the four offences, to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months; 20 days of rehabilitation activity; £7,000 costs. Disqualified from owning horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and their hybrids indefinitely, with no right of appeal for 15 years.

Horse & Hound

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, horse traders, horses and ponies, Lifers, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards, Worst of the Worst

Market Weighton, East Riding of Yorkshire: Jane Moore

January 27, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2024) | horse breeder Jane Elizabeth Moore, born 3 December, of Jemoon Stud, Deira, The Common, Market Weighton YO43 4LE – kept 36 neglected horses in squalor with ten of them having to be put down.

Stud farm owner Jane Moore pleaded guilty to 10 offences of causing unnecessary suffering to 17 horses and one charge of failing to meet the needs of 36 equines

The RSPCA and World Horse Welfare found 36 horses living in squalor at Jane Moore’s East Yorkshire stud farm.

One of the horses was in such poor condition he had to be put down immediately, three more were euthanised two days later and six other horses were euthanised in the following months.

When inspectors visited Moore’s yard in early 2023, they found a number of animals in distress, including a stallion called Puzzle Pic n Mix, who had dental issues and a diseased penis.

A male Cleveland Bay called Earlswood Traveller had lameness and a lice infestation, and another stallion called Spadge was also lame, had a sinus cyst and ‘obvious ill health’.

A bay mare, Henby, had ulcerated cheeks, and five other horses called Hedi, Whizz, Robbie and Nellie were in poor condition and also lame.
Bay mare Cassie was a victim of ‘poor husbandry’, piebald mare Pollyanna was infested with mites, and Basil, JDJ5 and Sammy also had inadequate dental care. Bay gelding Archie and a chestnut mare had not been given pain relief of proper hoof care, and a piebald mare called Lucky had an infected sheath that had not been treated.

RSPCA Inspector Natalie Hill told the court: “All the horses were living in extremely dirty stables with little food or water. They all had overgrown hooves and they were in poor body condition.

“Within one stable block there was a very strong smell of urine and the horses’ rugs were found to be very dirty and extremely heavy. It appeared to me that all the horse stables had not been cleaned in some time and on some horses their feet were very long and overgrown.”

A vet’s expert report to the court said Moore had failed to ensure a suitable environment for her equines, failed to provide adequate veterinary care and failed to ensure they were kept in a healthy body condition.

Of the 36 horses, 22 were underweight and most were suffering from dental issues and overgrown hooves, while three had lice and mite infections.

Moore pleaded guilty to 10 offences of causing unnecessary suffering to 17 horses and one charge of failing to meet the needs of 36 equines.

The court heard defence mitigation that Moore was “no longer up to the task of looking after such a large number of horses”.

It was claimed she had been isolated and lonely after a marriage break-up and the loss of her parents and her pride had prevented her from asking for help.

The court heard that at the time of the charity’s visit, she was in hospital and relying on friends to care for the horses. She also had had a lack of finances which prevented her dealing with some of the health problems.

The chairman of the magistrates told Moore: “This was a case where these animals were so obviously struggling that intervention was obvious and necessary. The fact that it was not forthcoming was down in large part to your own pride and your refusal to ask for help.”

Inspector Hill said after the hearing: “These horses were found in dreadful conditions with multiple health problems. They were being kept confined to their stables for long periods and it appeared they were rarely exercised.

“One sadly had to be put to sleep on the day we first visited, although that course of action had been recommended by a vet several months before. There were several other horses in very poor health too, including one whose teeth had grown through his cheek and was in a lot of pain and discomfort.

“In all 10 of the 36 horses have had to be put to sleep and the others have got long-term health issues from being neglected for such a long time, such as ligament and joint problems, that only a small number will be able to be rehomed.”

Sentencing | 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years; £13,099.27 in court costs and £154 statutory surcharge. Disqualified from keeping equines indefinitely.

York Press
Horse & Hound
BBC News
Yorkshire Post

Jemoon Stud’s Facebook page, last updated in June 2023, advertises that the farm ‘breeds quality show/competition horses including pure/part bred Cleveland Bays. Currently standing five stallions, producing for the future.”

Moore was listed as one of around 30 registered breeders of pure Cleveland Bays by the Cleveland Bay Society in 2022 – one of whom was the late Queen Elizabeth.

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, horses and ponies

Bude, North Cornwall: Lisa Doolan

November 19, 2023 misanthropic 3 Comments

CONVICTED (2023) | Lisa Doolan, born 19 February 1976, of On the Waves, Crooklets, Bude EX23 9NF – for the starvation and neglect of several ponies.

Hotelier and animal abuser Lisa Doolan from Bude, Cornwall starved and neglected several ponies.

Five ponies suffered terribly following months of neglect neglect by their owner, Lisa Doolan. The Bude hotelier was prosecuted after ignoring repeated warnings that the ponies needed to be fed properly.

The ponies, who were kept in a field with four others in the Bude area, had been caused suffering by to “a simple lack of suitable food” as well as “being left in a wet and cold environment”. Four were emaciated while a fifth was very thin. Some of the animals had untreated medical needs such as parasites.

RSPCA investigators told Doolan during multiple visits that she had to address her animals’ needs but she failed to take any action.

In court Doolan pleaded guilty to five animal welfare offences.

Mother of four Doolan was visited by an officer from World Horse Welfare who also issued advice.

The ponies were severely underweight and not rugged. There wasn’t sufficient food or grazing and they had only been kept alive due to the intervention of a third party who attended each day to feed them.

The ground was heavily waterlogged and inspectors noticed a clear deterioration in the ponies over the two months between October and December 2022.

Ultimately all nine ponies were signed over to the RSPCA.

Sentencing her, Judge Simon Carr said: “Those who take on the responsibility of animals take on an enormous responsibility and burden. They are responsible for the care and feeding for the animals and whatever else is going on, that never moves.

“You had nine ponies under your care. I have read the vet reports and seen photographs and it would have been obvious that these animals were suffering terribly. The conditions they were kept in were appalling and they were simply not being fed. Most of them would have died if they were left there.

“This was not a momentary failure. It was months of neglect of animals who suffered terribly as a result of what you did.”

Representing Doolan, Feleena Grosvenor said: “She has shown genuine remorse and is horrified at the vet’s report. His circumstances at the time of the offending were devastating.”

Ms Grosvenor went on to tell the court that Doolan’s step father was dying from cancer at the time of the offences, and another family member had also passed away.

Doolan’s marriage was said to have been having difficulties and she was struggling with her mental health at the time.

Sentencing | four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years; £9,173.78 costs. Banned from keeping equine for five years (expires November 2028).

CornwallLive

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, Serial Animal Abusers, Traveller Animal Crimes

Rookhope, County Durham: Andrew Allen and Siobhan Barker

October 22, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Andrew Allen, born c. 1977, and Siobhan Barker, born 5 December 1997, of Boltsburn Crescent, Rookhope, Bishop Auckland DL13 2AT – neglected a pony found in a frozen field surviving on mouldy hay.

Animal abusers Andrew Allen and Siobhan Barker from Rookhope, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Picture: Facebook

Allen and Barker, who have four children, admitted three animal welfare offences in relation to piebald cob pony Pluto, who was found with lice, rain scald, and overgrown hooves in a frozen, barren field in Rookhope on January 20, 2023.

Pluto was starved and neglected by Andrew Allen and Siobhan Barker from Rookhope, Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Picture: RSPCA

When visited by RSPCA inspector Lucy Green and a rep from charity World Horse Welfare, all Pluto had to eat was mouldy hay.

After the visit, a vet attended and confirmed Pluto was underweight and suffering.

The court heard how Barker arrived on the scene and began shouting obscenities. Allen appeared shortly afterwards, and both refused to let anyone examine Pluto further.

Allen then even chased the pony around the field in hope of preventing him being caught, but Pluto was eventually loaded into a horsebox. The police were called and took Pluto into their possession.

The vet who examined Pluto on site, said in her evidence: “The pony was kept alone in a small paddock, it was bare and snow covered on the day of the visit. The water was frozen and poor quality mouldy hay was available in the shelter.

“On examination Pluto had a body condition score of 1.5/5 meaning he was underweight with bony prominences throughout the neck, back and hips due to little fat cover. The coat was very thick, lice were present and there was some rain scald on the pony’s back.”

Blood tests revealed evidence of anaemia, chronic inflammation, low protein and possibly muscle disease. Parasitology results also showed encysted redworm and tapeworm.

“In my opinion this pony was suffering from malnourishment due to inadequate feed and high parasite burden,” added the vet. “Horses are herd animals and being kept in isolation can have a negative psychological impact, therefore this pony was likely suffering from being kept alone.”

The court heard how the animal welfare organisations had had previous dealings with the defendants, whose other animals include dogs and sheep, and had warned them about Pluto’s lice and weight after a previous veterinary examination.

In mitigation the couple said their health and lack of ability and finances had contributed to the situation.

Pluto was taken to an RSPCA animal centre and has made a good recovery and will be now rehomed by the charity.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, Inspector Green said: “Pluto’s most basic needs were not being met and he was in a very poor state of neglect. He’s got a lovely temperament and has integrated well with other ponies in our care – the staff at the animal centre adore him. We’d like to thank our colleagues at World Horse Welfare for their support and assistance with this investigation which has helped to ensure a much brighter future for Pluto.”

Sentencing |
Allen: 18-month conditional discharge.
Barker: community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Both of them were also told to pay £600 each in costs.
Both were banned from keeping animals for five years (expires October 2028).

Chronicle Live

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Lifers, Traveller Animal Crimes, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Totton, Hampshire: Sean and Maxine McWhinnie

May 11, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Sean McWhinnie, born 16 August 1980, previously of Jackie Wigg Gardens, Totton, Southampton SO40 9LZ – caught on CCTV subjecting a six-month-old foal to a 90-minute beating while sister Maxine McWhinnie (details tbc) looked on unconcerned.

Animal abusers Sean McWhinnie and Maxine McWhinnie from Hampshire. — Sean McWhinnie received a lifetime ban on keeping all animals while sister Maxine agreed voluntarily not to be involved with horses for 10 years

In November 2021 Sean McWhinnie, a traveller with links to Larkhall in Scotland, went to a farm in Romsey where a young New Forest crossbreed foal named Faith, belonging to his sister Maxine McWhinnie, was kept and carried out a sustained attack lasting more than one-and-a-half hours which left the six-month old animal “terrified”.

The attack took place while Maxine and another woman sat outside in full view of what was going on inside the stable. Neither woman did anything to intervene and appeared unconcerned.

Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Hazel Stephens told the court the charity had been alerted after staff at the yard saw the attack on CCTV.

She said: “It is a particularly shocking case. Faith had been caused pain and suffering through deliberate and unnecessary abuse.

“In one video clip McWhinnie can be seen punching the foal in the face causing it to spin 180 degrees.

Maxine McWhinnie appears unconcerned as her brother Sean McWhinnie subjects a foal to a prolonged vicious beating

“He repeatedly hits it with a rope halter and chases it. At one point the foal rears up and falls backwards and is extremely distressed.”

She added the foal, which would have only just been weaned and had no prior human interaction, was being cared for by someone with “zero understanding and empathy of its needs”.

In interview McWhinnie seemed unable to recognise any wrongdoing, she added, and he asked the officer “Have you ever broken a wild foal?”

The foal was removed and has since been kept at a rescue centre in Somerset, run by World Horse Welfare (WHW).

The welfare charity’s Field Officer Penny Baker said: “When I first got to the yard Faith was in a real state.

“She was very distressed and, when I tried to enter her stable, in self-defence she put her ears flat back, turned her bum towards me and tried to kick. She was terrified.”

Animal abuser Sean McWhinnie, a traveller from Hampshire but with links to Scotland.

Defending McWhinnie, Timothy Compton said he suffered his client was autistic, had ADHD and possible foetal alcohol syndrome.

He had suffered “many challenging situations” in his life including being placed in boarding school at the age of 13 due to his additional needs.

He added McWhinnie was from a traveller background and added: “In this society the approach to animals is not always the same as it is in wider society.

“He does [now] understand to a degree, given his difficulties, that the way he behaved was not the way he should have behaved.”

Career criminal McWhinnie, who has a history of violent offending (see here and here) admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to breaching a suspended sentence, intentionally causing alarm and distress, burglary, making off without payment, aggravated vehicle taking without consent and possession of class B drugs.

For these offences he was given a further 12 months in prison, also suspended for 21 months

The sentence for these offences had been deferred to give McWhinnie a chance to prove himself, the court heard.

Judge Forster said: “This case is truly shocking. The victim of what took place was a foal, and the animal was subject to unnecessary assault.

“[Vet] Dr Green describes in a report how the the foal was repeatedly hit, wrestled and terrorised within the stable.

“I make it clear that all right-thinking people take a serious view of any cruelty towards an animal, and parliament has increased the maximum sentence [to five years] for that offence to reflect the public concern of such behaviour.”

However, the judge said that despite the “shocking nature” of the offence he had suspended the sentence after taking in to consideration McWhinnie’s “difficulties in life” and said he believed his mental health challenges had contributed to his offending.

Commenting after the sentencing, WHW’s Penny Baker said: “We welcome the lifetime ban on keeping all animals, however, we are very disappointed that the prison term for this abhorrent offence was suspended because, in our opinion, this very young foal suffered terribly at the hands of Sean McWhinnie and the deliberate attack that he subjected her to.

“I feel – I’m sure along with the rest of this nation’s animal lovers – that this was worthy of a prison term with immediate effect.”

Sentencing |

Sean McWhinnie: five-month prison sentence, suspended for 21 months; 200 hours of unpaid work. Lifetime ban on keeping animals, although he can apply for this to be lifted after 10 years.

Maxine McWhinnie, who was charged with permitting the beating, agreed to a 10-year ban on keeping equines.

Horse & Hound
Daily Echo
World Horse Welfare

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, farms / smallholdings, Food Production, horses and ponies, Multiple Species, Worst of the Worst

Chulmleigh, North Devon: Diana Swabey

May 7, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2023) | farmer Diana Felicity Swabey, born c. 1961, of New House Farm, Hollocombe, Chulmleigh EX18 7QH – for the shocking neglect of 200 animals in her care.

200 animals were found in a poor state on New House Farm, Hollocombe, Chumleigh, Devon, which is owned by Diana Swabey.

Diana Swabey admitted 16 charges under the Animal Welfare Act relating to 81 horses and ponies, four goats, seven rabbits, a goose, cattle, sheep and pigs, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.

Officers from the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare went to New House Farm, Chulmleigh, in March 2022 following welfare concerns for a large number of animals. They were later joined by a vet and Devon and Cornwall Police to carry out a joint investigation.

What they discovered were animals living in filthy conditions, some with no food and bedding, emaciated ponies, a dead ewe and tumbled down fencing creating a hazard.

During the visit, the RSPCA said Swabey, who had a small bottle of alcohol spirits in her back pocket, used a pitchfork to threaten its officer by pointing it towards her face and squirting water at her. She was also abusive to police at the scene.

When a bull was seen lying down Swabey said someone would soon take for kebabs.

RSPCA Inspector Claire Ryder, who investigated for the animal welfare charity described what she saw when she arrived at the address. She said: “There were two horses in stables standing in their own faeces and urine.

“Next to a horse there were three pigs with no food or water in a dirty environment living in their own filth with no bedding and empty feed containers. In the top stable near the entrance there were a further two pigs again with no food or water living in their own filth.

“In the first field to the left of the property there were a lot of hazards such as barbed wire, old metal, vehicles and fencing. This was scattered over the top part of the field where the ponies could get to. There were many fields and the grazing was extremely poor. There was no hay or signs of any hay being put out for the animals. As we walked around the fields I noticed fencing had come down and the barbed wire was lying on the floor.

“We came to one field where there were approximately 27 ponies in it. Most of the ponies were nervous and you could only get so close before they walked off. The ones that we could see you could clearly see that their hips and spines were protruding and the ribs were visible even through their winter coats. Their coats were dirty and unkept. There was no extra food provided, just the poor grazing.”

She said another field had been blocked off. It contained 11 ponies and sheep. There was one dead ewe and a dead lamb. The sheep appeared poor and quite a few were lame. A lamb seemed to be having problems straightening its legs.

“In the stables at the end of the yard there were poultry in filthy conditions with no food; they had a small amount of dirty water, Claire said. “Next to this stable there were four goats that were in poor bodily condition, no food or water, a dirty environment with a scattering of straw bedding.

“The bull was lying down and I could see its leg was swollen. She said she didn’t want to pay the money for the knacker man and knew someone who would take it for free for kebabs. The bull was lying in a dirty bed with no food or water.

“She then took me to a barn where I could see cattle of various ages and sexes. You could not see their feet due to the amount of faeces they were standing in. They were filthy due to lying in their own mess.”

“In a barn across the road there were cattle who again were living in their own mess knee deep. Young cattle were in there and there was no bedding for them to lay in.

“At the back of the barn there were two emaciated ponies. Living in filthy conditions with no food or water. There were also calves that had no food or water in with the ponies. In a separate bit blocked off there were three pigs that were in poor bodily condition. They had no food, water or bedding. They had a lot of hair loss and were scratching a lot.”

RSPCA officers were joined by equine specialists from World Horse Welfare and the Mare and Foal Sanctuary during return visits to assist in the rescue of the animals who had been seized by police.

The vet said in their witness statement: “It is of my opinion that the majority of these horses have suffered neglect with the remaining animals likely to end up suffering if they had remained in those circumstances.

“The main concerns are that of very poor body condition and dental issues due to inadequate nutrition and internal parasitism, lice infestation, rain scald caused by inadequate shelter and care, and lack of farriery attention. All conditions found above are easily preventable through routine care and preventative treatments.”

The court hear in mitigation that this was not a case of deliberate animal suffering or deliberate neglect of duty but an unintentional failure. At the time, Swabey was caring for her elderly mother and had suffered with Covid on three occasions and had turned to alcohol to help her cope.

Sentencing | 16-week suspended prison sentence; 150 hours of unpaid work; 45 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days; costs of £400. 10-year ban on owning animals. Deprivation order on the animals still in her care, and given three months in which to rehome or sell them.

DevonLive
Teignmouth Post

Equine Abuse, horse traders, horses and ponies, Traveller Animal Crimes

Bridgwater, Somerset: John Holland

April 28, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2023) | John Holland, born 25 December 1966, of Tapmoor, Moorlinch, Bridgwater TA7 9BZ but with links to Green Acres travellers site Oxen Lane, North Curry, Taunton TA3 7NE – failed to provide adequate care for his horses.

Animal abuser John Holland from Somerset — Romany gypsy John Holland kept starving horses in a field full of hazards including ragwort, loose wire, nails and glass

Holland, a notorious rogue tradesman with a conviction for defrauding pensioners, was banned from keeping horses for 10 years following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.

Romany gypsy John Holland, from Somerset, kept starving horses in a field full of hazards including ragwort, loose wire, nails and glass

The animal welfare charity attended a field off Castle Hill in Banwell, North Somerset, on August 3, 2022 alongside equine charity World Horse Welfare (WHW).

WHW had previously left advice for Holland on July 29, 2022 and had ongoing concerns about the lack of water being provided for the horses.

Inspector Kim Walters, who investigated for the RSPCA, noted that there was no available water and no grazing left in the field, just the remains of dirty mouldy hay being eaten by the horses.

There were also numerous hazards in the field, ragwort, loose wire, nails and sharp edges of machinery, corrugated iron sheet, and broken glass surrounding the black water container.

Holland was told to make urgent improvements, including providing a constant supply of fresh drinking water and supplementary feed.

During follow up visits by inspector Walters, further concerns were raised for the horses.

On September 14, 2022, Holland signed an RSPCA animal welfare assessment warning notice, which advised him of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and that he must provide the basic needs or possible offences may be being committed.

On a follow up visit on September 23, inspector Walters observed that there was no further hay provided for them and they looked quiet and dull, with three of the horses in poor bodily condition with ribs and spines visible.

The horses were seized by police and examined by a vet, who deemed three to be suffering as a result of their treatment.

The vet concluded that a lack of feed provision led to hunger, muscle breakdown and lethargy for the horses.

A mare, named Girl, also had a foal at foot who was relying mainly on her mother for nutrition. Her poor body condition will have reduced milk quality and quantity, causing her foal to suffer from hunger additionally.

A vet’s report said: “The field contained minimal grazing which would not provide enough forage to sustain the number of horses present.

“There was no evidence of supplementary feed being given to the horses, which would have been required in order to meet their dietary requirements and prevent hunger.

“The pasture was contaminated with ragwort, commonly known by horse owners to be poisonous to horses and a threat to the horses’ health.

“There were objects in the pasture including wood with nails protruding, broken shards of hard plastic, machinery and wire mesh on the ground, which could easily cause injury to the horses.

“For these reasons, I do not believe that the environment was suitable for the horses.”

Sentencing | 150 hours of unpaid work; £400 in costs. Banned from keeping equines for ten years (expires April 2033).

Bridgwater Mercury
SomersetLive
Somerset Apple

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies

Rothwell, Northamptonshire: Claire Jones

January 26, 2023 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Claire Jones, born 28 September 1973, of Market Hill, Rothwell, Kettering NN14 6BW – kept horses in ‘cruel and degrading’ conditions.

Horse abuser: Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. Picture: Facebook

Jones was prosecuted by the RSPCA after inspectors found two of her horses with lice, cracked hoofs and urine scalds. Both were so lean that bones were visible.

Horses starved and neglected by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. — Claire Jones’s were found with lice, urine scalds and cracked hoofs

On April 14, 2022, an officer from World Horse Welfare attended the Rothwell yard where Jones was keeping her horses and found the stable to be very dirty with a strong smell.

Prosecuting, Janita Patel said: “Both [horses] were found to be in a very poor bodily condition.”

The filthy stable where neglected horses were kept by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. — The horses were kept in a dark and dirty stable in their own faeces, with no straw bedding.

The officer gave Jones advice on the horses and cleaning up the stable.

On two occasions over the next 10 days the RSPCA attempted to visit but the gate was locked. They applied for a warrant, before returning with police and a vet on April 28.

They found 12-year-old mare Pixie and two-year-old colt Gary in conditions which were ‘unsuitable and unhygienic’ with no proper bedding.

Pixie was so thin that her ribs, hips and spine were clearly visible. She had patches of hair loss, obvious evidence of a lice infestation and her hoofs were overgrown, cracked and split.

Gary was excitable when he came out of the stable. His bones were clearly visible with hair loss and lice. He had hard matted faeces stuck to his hair because there was no bedding and he had to lie on the stable floor. Gary also had urine scalds on his leg and his hoofs were also overgrown, cracked and split.

The ground of the stable was saturated with urine .

Ms Patel said: “It’s shocking [that] they could be kept there 24/7.”

Horses neglected by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire.

A vet said that they had suffered for several months. A farrier who examined the ponies in May was of the opinion that their hoofs hadn’t been trimmed for between six and eight months.

Ms Patel said warning notices had been sent to Jones but that she had failed to accept the advice.

She said: “They have fallen on deaf ears.”

When she was interviewed Jones said she had little equine experience and that she used to use straw but that Gary would eat it.

The court heard she thought the skin issues were caused by fleas and treated it with white vinegar but that she didn’t notice the sores.

Ms Patel said Jones agreed that the horses were a bit lean and that the stable was a ‘shit tip’.

She told the RSPCA that money wasn’t an issue and that she didn’t know why she hadn’t got a vet out.

She later signed the horses over and admitted three animal welfare offences, including two of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

District Judge Amar Mehta told Jones she was lucky the animals survived and that her offending crossed the custodial threshold – but that she had escaped going to prison by ‘a whisker’.

He said: “You kept these horses in a condition which, when one looks at the photographs, makes the court shudder.

“That is not how to keep animals. You kept them in cruel and degrading conditions.”

Sentencing | 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months; 150 hours of unpaid work; costs and surcharge totalling of £654. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Worst of the Worst

Norton-le-Clay, North Yorkshire: George Turner

January 17, 2023 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2023) | George Turner, born c. 1986, of Village Farm, Broad Balk Lane, Norton-le-Clay, York YO61 2RS – left a filly to become so emaciated she could barely stand

Filly starved and neglected by cruel farmer George Turner from Norton-le-Clay, York — George Turner’s unnamed horse was euthanised after she became too unwell to be saved

George Turner denied causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of the unnamed thoroughbred-type filly, but was found guilty of both offences after a two-day trial.

The RSPCA were alerted to the plight of the starving horse by a concerned member of the public. Inspector Alice Cooper subsequently attended the scene accompanied by an equine veterinary surgeon, two police officers and a representative from the charity World Horse Welfare.

When Turner arrived, he confirmed that the filly and four other thoroughbred-type horses belonged to him.

Giving evidence in court, Inspector Cooper said: “The horse was very thin. Her spine was prominent and protruded like a ridge along her back, and the bones around her back end looked sharp and pointy. Her demeanour seemed very subdued, and she stood with her head bowed. When walking she appeared slow and quite weak.”

The young horse also had extensive rain-scald across her back and rump and had not been provided with any shelter to escape adverse weather conditions. The vet who examined the horse in Turner’s presence, confirmed the filly was suffering and she was seized by the police.

She was so poorly that she collapsed when transportation arrived and required support to get onto the trailer.

She was initially taken to a specialist equine hospital for treatment before being moved onto a boarding establishment where she had to be supported to stand up. Sadly her condition continued to decline and she was eventually put to sleep on welfare grounds.

A post mortem revealed she had an emaciated body condition, extensive ulceration of the stomach – which may have been predisposed by a lack of adequate food – and a heavy worm burden.

Giving evidence, the vet told the court that clinical examination of the horse “showed an animal that was in extremely poor condition and was very obviously sick and in need of veterinary attention.

She added: “The horse was very dull and weak and it would have been obvious to even a lay person that she was in extremely poor body condition and emaciated. These factors were chronic in nature and a responsible, reasonable and caring horse owner would have recognised that the horse was failing to thrive and was becoming emaciated.

“The forage provided in the field for the horses was not enough to provide them all with their daily nutritional requirements. The filly may have experienced competition for food and as such should have been provided with ad-libitum food, endoparasite control and veterinary care.”

The vet said it was her professional opinion that it would have taken a minimum of six weeks for the filly to become emaciated and that she’d been caused to suffer unnecessarily for at least two weeks.

The court heard that Inspector Cooper made repeated attempts to contact Turner to interview him about the filly, but was told he was a “busy man”. In January 2021 a solicitor contacted the RSPCA to arrange an interview for Turner, but it never went ahead and Turner represented himself in court.

During the trial Turner stated he “had not done anything wrong” and that he did not want to be disqualified from keeping equines as “he had knowledge of horses and had been successful in raising them in the past”.

In mitigation he said he had financial difficulties, but did not produce any details to corroborate his circumstances.

After the case, RSPCA Chief Inspector Justin Le Masurier said: “This was a very distressing case and we would like to thank World Horse Welfare and other partner agencies for their assistance, as well as the members of the public who reported their concerns about this young horse to us.

“A responsible horse owner would have intervened and provided their animal with veterinary attention long before they had got into such an appalling state, but this didn’t happen and sadly this filly suffered unnecessarily for a long time as a result of Mr Turner’s neglect.”

Sentencing | 18-week suspended prison sentence; costs of £1928 plus victim surcharge. Deprivation order for the four other horses. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

YorkshireLive
Horse & Hound

Equine Abuse

Preston, Lancashire: William Byrne

November 26, 2022 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2022) | William Byrne, born c. 1975, of 7 Eastbourne Close, Preston PR2 3YR – left a horse to suffer from maggot-infested leg injury.

Stallion Tiny was put down after his owner failed to get him treatment for an ulcerated and maggot-infested leg injury.

Byrne denied causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of cob Tiny, but was found guilty of the two charges.

The RSPCA was called in September 2021 after concerns were raised about a horse at a property in Mill Lane.

“On discovering the pony had a severe leg condition, police and vets were called and an investigation began. Tiny was transported to World Horse Welfare to undergo emergency treatment, but sadly despite the vets’ best efforts, Tiny had to be put down to end his suffering,” said an RSPCA spokesman.

The vet’s witness statement said that Tiny had a “known condition that had been diagnosed a year previously”, but although he had received some veterinary treatment, “further examination was denied by Byrne, and almost three months later the horse was still suffering.”

The statement added that Tiny’s legs were “ulcerated in areas, bleeding and inflamed, and there was a secondary bacterial infection present”.

“The right hind limb also had a maggot infestation, which would have also caused further distress,” it read.

“In my opinion, the owner did not act in the best interests of the welfare of this horse. A responsible, caring owner would have sought adequate veterinary care.”

In mitigation Byrne cited “incompetent care rather than deliberate neglect”.

RSPCA chief inspector Rob Melloy said it was a “very sad case”.

“We were so sad that Tiny couldn’t be saved. If he had received the appropriate treatment sooner, the outcome might have been different for him, but sadly, Mr Byrne failed to get him the veterinary care he so obviously and desperately needed,” he said.

“It’s really upsetting for us at the RSPCA, our colleagues at World Horse Welfare and the vets, who all collectively tried as hard as we could to save him.”

Sentencing | 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; 12-week curfew. Disqualified from owning horses for 10 years.

Horse & Hound
Lancashire Post

Update | November 2023

It was reported that Byrne had lost his appeal against conviction.

After the appeal hearing, RSPCA inspector William Lamping, who was involved in the investigation, said: “Tiny hadn’t received the veterinary care he so obviously needed, to the point where maggots were tunnelling into his skin.

“A responsible owner would have recognised the gravity of the situation and acted in a timely manner, but Byrne failed to do so and Tiny suffered unnecessarily for months as a result.”

UK Animal Cruelty Files