Ban for man who left lice-ridden ponies untreated
Two Shetland ponies are recovering at the Horse Trust’s sanctuary in Speen after being removed from a property in Buckinghamshire.
William Pettigrove of Longwick was banned from owning horses for a year, electronically tagged for a month and ordered to carry out 40 hours community service after pleading guilty to failing to care for the ponies, Sonny and Snowy.
Both ponies were underweight and suffering from lice infestations when RSPCA officers removed them from Pettigrove’s property on 23 May 2008.
Pettigrove appeared at Aylesbury Magistrates Court on 24 February.
He was also ordered to pay £8,525 to cover court costs and the cost of looking after the ponies.
Liane Crowther, welfare and education officer for the Horse Trust, said: “When Sonny and Snowy were found they were underweight and had rubbed their skin raw due to the untreated lice infection.
“The two ponies have now fully recovered and Sonny keeps the staff her on their toes with his cheeky nature.”
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The ponies will be rehomed.
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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.