Man banned from keeping horses for 10 years

A Worcestershire man has been banned from keeping horses for 10 years after admitting he caused a pony to suffer.

Isaac Hall, of Watery Lane, Stourport on Severn, appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court last Friday (24 January).

He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering by failing to adequately explore and address the pony’s weight loss.

As well as the ban he was ordered to do 120 hours of community service and to pay costs of £1,000.

The court heard that Dora, a 12hh skewbald yearling, was found by a World Horse Welfare officer in February 2013 on common land.

The officer contacted the RSPCA and inspector Mark Lewis visited with a vet and the police as no one nearby was claiming ownership of the horse.

Hall admitted he was Dora’s owner and re-released her, leaving the officers to catch her again so she could be examined. Dora was underweight and a vet said that she would be likely to suffer if her circumstances didn’t change.

Inspector Lewis said: “We try to work with owners where possible to improve the condition of their animals. We would have preferred to have done this had the defendant been willing to work with us at the outset. As he wasn’t, we had to arrange for Dora to be removed for her own safety.”

Dora is now in the care of World Horse Welfare.

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