Appeal after emaciated ponies found in Scarborough
The RSPCA is appealing for information after a dead pony, and another barely alive, were removed by inspectors from a field in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
The RSPCA received a call on Sunday 6 December from a concerned member of the public reporting the emaciated condition of the ponies on Oliver’s Mount Road.
Inspectors removed a dead bay mare from the field and a very weak bay male pony.
RSPCA inspector Alison Wilkinson said: “This is a very upsetting case where these horses have apparently been denied their most basic needs.
“Both horses were horrifically thin and there appeared to be no water or decent grazing for them in the field where they were being kept.
“We had to remove the body of one horse which had already died. The other was so weak he could barely stand. Thankfully we were able to remove him and take him to a local vet where he is currently receiving treatment.
“If anyone has any information, or knows who may have been responsible for these horses, we would urge them to contact us immediately. The sooner we get to the bottom of this shocking and upsetting case the better.”
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Anyone with information should call the RSPCA national cruelty and advice line on 0300 123 4999 and ask to leave a message for Alison Wilkinson. Calls are in confidence.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.