This month saw the successful end to an RSPCA prosecution of a man who had seriously neglected two horses. They had been left to suffer in a field in the vicinity of St Katherine’s Road Erith. You can see the full news story here.
The owner has been banned from keeping animals for five years after two piebald cob mares were found almost emaciated and riddled with lice.
RSPCA inspectors found the animals on land which was unsuitable for horses to graze on. It was a rubbish-laden field with no proper fencing. It had no shelter for the horses and their manure was not removed. He was also charged with being the person responsible for the duty of care for the animals to ensure their welfare by failing to house them in a suitable environment and protecting them from pain, suffering, injury or disease, by failing to provide proper and necessary treatment for their worm and louse problems.
One had an injured eye which eventually had to be removed. Both horses did recover once in the care of the RSPCA. The RSPCA asked the Court for him to be disqualified from keeping animals in the future as “The horses were in a high level of pain and almost emaciated and that’s enough to warrant a blanket ban.” He was disqualified from owning any animal for five years and given a suspended sentence.
Our Branch area (all DA plus BR8 postcodes) has a history of severe problems with fly grazed ponies. Our Branch wanted to provide a place of safety where they could be rehabilitated and then rehomed. We funded the RSPCA Kent North West Branch Equine Rehoming Facility at Leybourne RSPCA Centre and so far dozens of horses and ponies have benefitted. We thought you might like to see a couple of before and after images of some of the lucky rescued ponies.
