SPCA probes animal cruelty at EL stud farm
Midas Touch Warmblood under weekly inspections after owner Charne Marr issued with warning
The East London SPCA is investigating allegations of animal cruelty against the Midas Touch Warmblood Stud farm.
A warning has been issued to the stud farm’s owner, Charne Marr.
East London SPCA general manager Susan Holmes said the investigation started in October, when the SPCA received a second complaint against Marr.
Holmes said a previous complaint against Marr was lodged in 2018. When an inspector and vet visited the property they put down two horses which had been badly neglected.
She said the SPCA was working in terms of the Animals Protection Act to ensure the welfare of the animals.
“Our inspector is conducting weekly inspections of the horses at the stud and the other farms where the horses are being kept.
“We have also secured an equine vet for regular health check ups. Only the 30 horses that she [Marr] has at present are being inspected.
“The owner is complying with the warning and there is progress,” Holmes said.
She said the vet did not want to be named.
The warning states that Marr is required to provide feed, supplements and dips for the horses. But in the past three weeks a series of animal cruelty allegations against Marr surfaced on social media, after pictures of emaciated horses allegedly in the care of the stud farm were posted to Facebook on November
12.
The post sparked a deluge of harrowing complaints about neglected, injured and starved horses allegedly belonging to, or in the care of, the stud farm.
The farm is situated in Sunrise on Sea, but according to a source in the East London horse fraternity, it is a small property and makes use of alternative grazing land rented from nearby farms and properties at Glen Eden, as well as on the other side of East London near Kidds Beach.
The Daily Dispatch attempted to visit the farm on Friday last week, but was unable to contact Marr and enter the premises.
She did not answer her phone or calls from the farm’s two entrance gates.
From the road, only one healthy looking horse could be seen grazing on the property. Stables could be seen at the end of the driveway, but no other horses were spotted.
Janet Erskie, a former coowner of Shamrock Warmblood stud in Camperdown, KwaZulu-Natal, told the Daily Dispatch that she had sent a healthy mare for breeding to Midas Touch stud almost three years ago.
She said the mare was found infested with ticks this week on a neighbouring farm and had been taken to a local place of safety to recover.
“At the time Charne [Marr] didn’t have the money to pay for the mare so we drew up an agreement whereby she would pay me back once the first foal was born, but every time I tried to contact her there was no reply.
“When I did eventually get hold of her she told me the horse was fine,” Erskie, who has since emigrated to New Zealand, said.
“When I realised something was wrong and saw the post on
Facebook I started contacting people in East London and two women eventually identified my horse and rescued her.
“She had just been left there with no food or care, and who knows for how long,” Erskie said.
Erskie said she never received any payment for the horse from Marr.
Marc Ward, an animal cruelty investigator who owns the Western Cape-based Have a Heart Equine Sanctuary, said he received several similar complaints from horse owners who had done business with Midas.
Ward said several former owners of horses sold or lent to Midas Touch for breeding purposes were concerned and had asked him to travel to East London to investigate.
“In some cases these people are just concerned for the wellbeing of the animals they sold or lent to Midas for breeding purposes, but in others there are clear breaches of contract,” said Ward, who arrived in East London on Sunday.
“Some agreements state that should Midas no longer be able to care for the horses, they are to be returned to the previous owners, but this has not happened.
“In other cases there has been no payment received, or in swapping agreements, no horse has been received by owners in exchange for the one sent to Midas Touch. Some of these cases date back to 2015.”
Ward showed the Daily Dispatch a list of 20 complainants who had inquired about the whereabouts of about 30 horses that had allegedly been sold or lent to Midas Touch.
Over the past week, Ward has worked with the SPCA to find answers about what had happened to these horses.
“Some horses were sold or put down because of neglect and I will contact the owners individually. The SPCA will continue investigating and attorneys will deal with issues of breached contracts,” Ward said.
On Thursday, Holmes confirmed that the SPCA’s investigation would continue and an inspector would monitor the stud farm on a weekly basis.
She said that should Marr fail to comply with the warning, the SPCA would take action and lay charges.
The Dispatch called Marr seven times over five days last week and sent her four SMS messages since Monday afternoon, but she had not responded by print deadline on Thursday.
Some horses were sold or put down