41 neglected horses including pregnant mares and foals removed from breeder in ‘very sad case’
A breeder who neglected more than 40 horses including pregnant mares and foals in a “very sad case” has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Thomas Nicholas, of Bickerton, Cheshire, was sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on 26 March, having pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offences.
The RSPCA and World Horse Welfare went to Nicholas’s farm in February 2024 with police, who removed 41 horses from the site.
An RSPCA spokesperson said these included mares and their foals, and pregnant mares. Some horses were kept on loan and others were owned by Nicholas.
The court heard the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare field officers found the horses kept in locations including “filthy” stables, and that many of them, including some of the foals, had ailments including poor body condition, rain scald and lice infestation.
In her witness statement, RSPCA inspector Nadine Pengilly said one of the stables, which housed one mare, was “very dirty with several weeks worth of faeces and there was no water or fresh hay provided”.
She added: “The next stable contained a bay mare and she had a young foal with her, and both were in poor body condition. There was no water provided for them or any fresh haylage, and when given water, the mare and foal drank ravenously. The foal did collapse on several occasions due to him being very weak, and the mare had rain scald and lice. The environment was also dirty with no clean bedding provided.
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“The next stable contained another black mare who was also in very poor body condition and had rain scald and lice. Her stable was also very dirty with weeks’ worth of dirty bedding and faeces, and she had no water or access to any fresh hay.”
The horses were removed by the police and put into RSPCA and World Horse Welfare’s care.
After sentencing, RSPCA inspector Will Lamping said: “This was a very sad case to investigate, and it was difficult to see such a large number of horses and foals living in poor conditions. Nicholas failed to meet the needs of the horses in a number of ways, from failing to provide a suitable environment, veterinary care, adequate endoparasite treatment, a suitable diet to ensure correct weight, adequate water, dental care and hoof care.
“Providing all of these is part of basic horse care and it was essential that action was taken to ensure the horses’ welfare going forward. We’re so grateful to Cheshire police as well as our colleagues at World Horse Welfare for working with us to secure the welfare of his large number of horses. Between our two charities, we’ve seen some great improvements in the horses since being under our care. It is a case that shows how successful partnership work can be when it comes to animal welfare.”
World Horse Welfare field officer Rae Andrews said this is another sad case of tens of horses’ being removed rather than one or two, something that has become more common.
“When animals are merely viewed as commodities, as was apparent in this case, the care and attention they need is often lacking,” she said. “In this case, it was highlighted by the horses’ high worm burdens and poor dental health, and some of the individuals were amongst the thinnest I’ve seen in my time as a World Horse Welfare field officer.
“I must commend the support provided from the other agencies involved and the teamwork between us was excellent. It goes without saying that all of us involved welcome the lifetime ban on keeping animals that was handed out as part of the sentencing.”
It was noted during sentencing that Nicholas had a low risk of reoffending. He was given six weeks’ custody, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, with 100 hours of unpaid work, and to pay a victim surcharge of £154. He was banned from keeping horses indefinitely.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.