Man prosecuted for horse neglect
ABUSINESSMAN was banned from keeping for animals for five years after neglecting horses including leaving them without food or water in a field with barbed wire and a dangerous weed in Daresbury.
Charles Anthony Smith, 44, of Ponderosa Stables, Chester Road, appeared at Halton Magistrates Court on Tuesday having pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to two mares and failing to provide a suitable environment for five horses.
Two of horses were ‘emaciated’ and had to be put down due to their poor condition.
RSPCA inspectors visited the field in Daresbury 14 times between July and October 2015.
The number of horses varied between one and eight, including two foals and a pregnant mare.
An inspector left an advisory notice after he first visit and during following trips to the field had to leave a further saying that water must be provided.
She observed that one of the horses was under- weight and grazing was poor.
On August 24 the inspector returned and found a stallion, two bay mares and two foals – they were thinner and although they had no water or supplementary food, the field contained patches of ragwort, which can cause liver damage.
She left another notice to find out if anyone was tending to the horses and when she returned in September she saw the animals were still in the field and ‘very lethargic’.
Her concern was such that she took pictures and called in a veterinary specialist, who confirmed their condition and environment were poor and that there was no food or water available.
More notices were given and the inspector provided 75 litres of water.
A member of the public had also taken it upon themselves to provide hay.
Problems continued into October and the inspector saw one of the horses eating ragwort.
Efforts to contact the owner resulted in a member of the public identifying the defendant.
The inspector returned to the site on October 23, 2015, with Cheshire police, a vet and a lady from rehoming charity World Horses Welfare.
The two mares were confirmed to be suffering from being underweight.
Smith arrived as the horses were being removed.
Ana McDonald, prosecuting, said the defendant was ‘upset’ and ‘shouting’ at the inspector, saying the mare belonged to him and he wanted a vet to inspect them.
Smith then ‘refused’ to have any dealings with the RSPCA officer.
The RSPCA inspection team found two of the mares were ‘emaciated’ and the field contained ragwort, barbed wire, broken wood and had poor fencing where the horses would be able to escape and potentially onto the roads.
Smith said he owned two of the horses and said he had been looking after the others for someone else.
Tariq Hussain, defending, said his client was a hard-working family man who ran a recycling business and had previously been a responsible owner of animals.
He said Smith tried to look after the horses but ‘failed’.
Magistrates handed ● Smith a 12-month community order with 300 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to pay £1,240.80 in costs within 28 days.
He was banned from owning or keeping animals for five years.
Smith can apply to have the disqualification lifted in two years.