Horse given rights to stop carrot-feeder grandmother
Court prosecutors granted restraining order for animal against 67-year-old found guilty of harassment
A RETIRED racehorse has become the unlikely beneficiary of a restraining order – against a grandmother who would not stop feeding it carrots.
Nelson, a chestnut gelding, found itself subjected to the attentions of Margaret Porter, 67, who had concluded the horse was “looking quite sad” and probably underfed.
She began making regular visits to the field where Nelson was kept near the village of Scruton, North Yorks, to slip a few carrots through the fence.
What began as an apparently commendable interest in Nelson’s wellbeing soon turned into something more sinister, ultimately leading to the police and RSPCA getting involved.
Suzanne Cooke, Nelson’s owner, claimed Ms Porter had mounted a campaign of harassment against them by persistently ignoring her pleas to leave the horse alone. Yesterday, York magistrates’ court convicted Ms Porter of harassment and took the unusual step of affording the horse legal protection, after prosecutors made an application for a restraining order on its behalf.
The illicit feeding operation first came to Ms Cooke’s attention when she noticed there were dozens of chewed carrot tops strewn around the horse’s field earlier this year.
On Feb 13, she was going to see Nelson when she saw a car parked next to the field and Ms Porter standing at the fence, throwing carrots to the horse.
Ms Cooke told the court she had demanded to know what Ms Porter was doing and pointed out that she could inadvertently poison Nelson or make it ill by feeding it. Apparently unfazed, Ms Porter was said to have replied: “You can ring the police, I’m not bothered.” Giving her own account to the court, Ms Porter claimed she had become worried about Nelson after passing its paddock on the edge of the village in the cold weather. “He looked thin and I began speaking to people about my concerns in the hope someone would take it on board and try and get her to look after the horse properly. I was getting quite distressed about the situation,” she said. “I decided to give him a
‘You must not put food in the field for the horse and must not interfere with the horse in any way’
few carrots at the fence, it never occurred to me that anyone else would be bothered about that, I just didn’t want him starving to death.”
Ms Cooke was horrified when an RSPCA inspector called at her house to tell her he was carrying out a welfare check on Nelson. The inspector quickly realised that the horse was in peak condition, in part due to its history of competing in three professional horse races, the court was told.
Ms Cooke was in no doubt who had reported her and had become increasingly angered by Ms Porter’s gossiping to villagers, which continued despite the RSPCA’S clean bill of health.
Trevor Howe, a parish councillor, gave evidence to say Ms Porter called him around 10 times about Nelson’s welfare, “repeating the fact it was underfed”.
The owner became increasingly despairing about the visits to her horse and decided to get the police involved.
She told the court: “I am tired of this happening and worried that she may make my horse ill, I don’t know what she is giving it.”
Ms Porter was arrested and denied a charge of harassment when she first appeared at court in April.
After finding her guilty yesterday, Hilary Fairwood, the presiding magistrate, said Ms Porter’s continued conduct was “not reasonable” after the RSPCA had visited. Ms Fairwood said it was necessary to impose a restraining order for the protection of Nelson. Addressed to the defendant, it reads: “You must not put food in the field for the horse and must not interfere with the horse in any way.” Further to that Ms Porter must not approach Ms Cooke or attend her home, the order said.
The court was told the defendant had previously been convicted in 2005 for assaulting her brother with three sticks of rhubarb during a family spat.
Following the conviction for harassment yesterday, Ms Cooke said: “I’m very glad the court passed the order to keep her away from Nelson for his sake.
“He’s a thoroughbred horse and he’s very well looked after, exercised and fed. He’s a wonderful horse and very much loved by me and my son.”