RSPCA launches inquiry as hunt rider filmed ‘punching horse’
THE RSPCA is investigating footage which appears to show a huntswoman slapping a horse in the face.
The UK’S national body for hunting last night condemned the video shared widely on social media, in which a woman appears to kick and slap a horse numerous times after it canters into a road. The woman then appears to aggressively pull the horse into the back of a trailer.
The Hunting Office, which is responsible for the administration of hunting across Britain, said it “expects the highest level of animal welfare” following the incident which involved a member of the Cottesmore Hunt, a foxhunting pack based in Rutland and one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain.
The incident was shared on social media yesterday by the Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs, an anti-hunting campaign group, which described the footage as “shocking” and showed there was “violence running through their veins”.
The RSPCA described the footage as “upsetting” and has launched an immediate investigation.
The Hunting Office said it “expects the highest level of animal welfare at all times, both on and off the hunting field, and condemns the actions taken by this individual, who is not a member of the hunting associations”.
Cottesmore Hunt told ITV News that it did not condone the actions shown in the video “under any circumstances”.
“We will be reminding all of our supporters that this will not be tolerated,” it added.
Chris Packham, the wildlife TV presenter, called on the RSPCA to “urgently investigate and definitively prosecute this appalling abuse – thus upholding our standards of animal welfare protection”. Megan Mccubbin, Packham’s stepdaughter and a presenter on the BBC show Springwatch, tweeted: “Anyone with information please come forward to RSPCA! Disgusting behaviour – this woman needs to be prosecuted. Yet another ugly side of an activity some call ‘sport’.”
In a statement, the RSPCA said: “This footage is upsetting. We will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare. We would urge anyone with first hand information about this incident to contact us on 0300 123 4999.”
Horse welfare was thrust into the public spotlight earlier this year after the BBC programme Panorama reported that thousands of horses are sent to slaughter in Britain annually, prompting outrage among animal campaigners. The show obtained figures which show that, since 2019, 4,000 racehorses have been put down in the only British abattoir licensed to shoot horses.
Dr Hannah Donovan, a vet and animal behaviourist, described the abattoirs as “unnecessary suffering”.
In 2013, a Newcastle United fan was jailed for one year after punching a police horse in the head. Barry Rogerson, 45, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for violent disorder for the incident and banned from attending any football matches in the UK for six years.