Eight horses rescued from site where five died
Eight horses have been rescued from two fields in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, due to concerns surrounding their welfare.
The RSPCA along with Bedfordshire Police, the Horse Trust, the Blue Cross and World Horse Welfare removed the horses from two fields Grovebury Road on Thursday (15 January).
Earlier this month five horses died due to neglect at the same location. Three were found dead due to cyathostomiasis (caused by small redworm or cyathostome). Two were put down at a later date due to their poor condition.
Local residents and passers-by have been shocked at the state of the group of horses being kept on the land for sometime.
On Thursday (15 January) police closed the road for an hour and a half while the RSPCA removed the animals from the field. It took four hours for the horses to be caught.
They were assessed by a vet and then taken into care by the charities.
“We have had serious concerns about these horses for some time and I am so pleased we managed to rescue them today and that they are now receiving proper care,” said RSPCA inspector Kirsty Withnall.
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“We have been visiting them daily to check on them but needed to make sure they had good places to go to where they can be properly cared for, and that we had the correct equipment to be able to catch them before attempting a rescue.
“As it was it was quite some feat to rescue these animals as they were living in a semi-wild state — it took more than 15 of us nearly four hours to round them up.”
“Sadly, this situation is not uncommon. The country is currently in the grip of a horse crisis with the RSPCA and other horse welfare charities struggling to cope with the numbers of abandoned, neglected and abused horses.”
The owner of the horses is not known.
“We have had numerous calls about these horses and have been working with the RSPCA and other partners to take this action to ensure their safety,” said Sergeant Andy Rivers of Leighton Buzzard police station.
“We are seeking information about the owner of the horses and would like to hear from anyone who could help us locate them.”
Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact Bedfordshire Police on 101 or text information to 07786 200011.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.