A mother and daughter who left an emaciated pony to die in temperatures of -6C have been given suspended prison sentences.
Jewell, one of five equids kept by Chloe Hudson, 27, and Shantel Tansley, 46, at land in Broadhead Road, Bolton, had to be put down as she was in such a poor condition.
The pair, both of Ainsworth Lane, Bolton, admitted an animal welfare offence and were sentenced at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on 20 March.
The court heard the owner of horses kept on neighbouring land, who is also a vet, was so concerned about Jewell, she contacted the RSPCA on January 7, 2024. In a statement given to the court she said two bay ponies kept on the land were “skin and bone” and one (Jewell) “looked ready to drop”.
“Jewell’s condition worsened and the neighbour noticed she was suffering from diarrhoea and was uninterested in eating after she had offered to put hay out for the defendant’s equines during a period of snowfall a week later,” an RSPCA spokesperson said, adding that a couple of days later, the neighbour saw Jewell had collapsed.
“I ran down to the field and saw that the pony was laid on her side and not moving. She was breathing but she didn’t get up. The temperature was around minus six, it was freezing cold,” said the neighbour, who tried unsuccessfully to contact Hudson.
“The pony had profuse diarrhoea around her back end and on her tail and that had frozen to the ground. I was shocked by her condition.”
Warning: very distressing image
RSPCA inspector Jennie Ronksley, who investigated the case, said none of the equids kept in the field had natural or man-made shelter and the field was open to the elements; witnesses described 80 mph gusts of wind.
A vet who went to the scene said the pony was dying and he put her down. When he rolled her body over, the RSPCA spokesperson said, the “extent of emaciation became clear as her pelvic bone was protruding and femur was visible through wasted thigh muscle”.
“It was clear that this pony did not get into this condition overnight and with more timely intervention and treatment (for a possible parasite infection) there would have been a different outcome. Her owners were negligent in failing to move her to a more sheltered and warmer environment and failing to seek veterinary help,” the vet said.
In mitigation, the court heard Chloe Hudson and Shantel Tansley were both “very regretful” and had rehomed all the other equids they owned. Hudson was pregnant at the time of the offence and suffered from mental health issues, and Tansley has had treatment for cancer.
Both were banned from keeping horses for five years. Hudson was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, and Tansley a 16-week prison sentence suspended for the same time.
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