There are growing concerns over the number of horses being abandoned in Leicestershire after the RSPCA discovered a dying four-year-old mare and a stillborn foal earlier this month (Sunday, 15 February).
The black and white cob was found in a road-side field in the village of Broughton Astley, near Leicester.
A passer-by, Katy Duckett, found the mare and called the RSPCA at 1.15pm.
The RSPCA arrived within an hour but the horse died just as the officer was calling for a vet to attend.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“Sadly, the horse had been suffering for some time, to the extent that it was collapsed on its side and had struggled so much that it had worn down the surrounding ground,” said a RSPCA spokesman.
The mare had recently given birth and an RSPCA officer found a foal on the same day in a nearby field that had been stillborn.
The case is the latest is a series of cases in the Leicestershire area.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
On 15 January the bodies of another black and white cob type mare and foal were stuffed into a hedge in a field in Scraptoft.
RSPCA inspector Clint Davies said when he inspected the bodies they had started to decompose suggesting they had been dumped more than a week before.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“Things are getting worse. This is just one of several horse abandonments and reports of dead horses being dumped that I’ve been called out to recently. My colleagues are telling a similar story,” said Mr Davies.
He added that costs and people running out of grazing could be to blame for the increase in cases in the area.
The RSPCA is appealing to anyone who might have information on either case to contact them on 0300 123 8018.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
