Men prosecuted for neglect of two horses

The men were jointly charged with the reckless ill-treatment of an animal and failing to ensure the physical, health, and behavioural needs of an animal were met.

They were convicted and sentenced in Whakatāne District Court on Friday 16 August and ordered to pay a combined total of $2,000 in fines and reparations of $2,265.30.

SPCA was called to a property in November 2021, after receiving a call of concern about two horses that were unwell. The Inspector located two appaloosa mares in a large paddock.

The first horse was lying on the ground and appeared to be in considerable pain. She was sweating, sounded distressed, and had marks and infected sores on her legs and body. The mare had no shelter, water, or food where she lay. The second horse was obese and struggling to walk. She had uneven hooves and a thick callous on her left foreleg.

The Inspector told one of the defendants that both horses needed urgent veterinary care and offered SPCA’s support to do this. But in response, he forced the Inspector to leave the property.

The following day, the Inspector returned to the property with two police officers and a veterinarian. The first horse was still lying in the same position in the paddock, and while making some attempts to rise, she was unable to. The vet noted her hooves were overgrown and broken in places, and her left hind fetlock had a deep wound extending into the joint, which would have been too painful to bear any weight. The horse also had deep hip wounds consistent with hip clamps used to lift the mare to her feet. The ground around her was flattened, suggesting she had been lying there for several days. She was diagnosed with laminitis and septic arthritis, and due to her painful and incurable condition, she was euthanised.

The veterinarian examined the second obese horse, and determined she was also suffering from laminitis with possible arthritis. She was provided with pain relief and the Inspector issued a legal notice requiring the defendant to move the horse to another paddock, change her diet to hay, and seek further veterinary care for pain relief.

However, the defendants failed to seek further veterinary care over the next two weeks, prompting SPCA to return to the property to seize the horse for emergency treatment. The mare had conjunctivitis, overgrown and cracked hooves, swelling on one of her legs, and she was struggling to walk on another. She was later able to walk properly following treatment in SPCA’s care.

SPCA Chief Executive Todd Westwood says the neglect the horses suffered is completely unacceptable.

“It’s heartbreaking to think of what that first mare endured in her final days while she lay helpless and in pain in the grass, while her owners did nothing,” says Mr Westwood.

“Both of these animals were clearly suffering, yet the defendants failed to do anything about it - not only that, but they refused help when it was offered, which only meant the horses suffered further.

“Horses require complex and expert care and if you are unable to provide it, then you simply shouldn’t have them,” says Mr Westwood.

Neither of the defendants agreed to be interviewed by SPCA as part of the investigation.