Man jailed and banned for 10 years after horses found in ‘appalling condition’
A man has been jailed for eight weeks and banned from keeping horses for 10 years after pleading guilty to cruelty to two horses.
The horses were so dehydrated they were licking damp concrete to quench their thirst.
Mandro Jones of Ensign Way, Diss, Norfolk, was sentenced at Norwich Magistrates’ Court last week (Thursday 7 August). He had pleaded guilty to the offences on 16 July.
The offences related to two bay cob mares named Marilyn and Baby, both of which were pregnant.
The pair were found in an “appalling condition” (pictured above) in February by the RSPCA and Redwings.
The horses were being kept in a barn with no food or water, surrounded by rubbish including rusty tins and broken glass. Both had lice and worm burdens and were emaciated.
“It was so sad to see these horses in this state,” said RSPCA inspector Jason Finch.
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“They had not been given even the most basic care and were being kept in an environment full of hazards with no food or water.
“I have never seen an animal so thirsty that they had to lick moisture from damp concrete before. It was shocking.”
A vet gave Marilyn a body score of 1.5 out of 5 and Baby 0.5 out of 5.
The horses were seized by the police and handed over to Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
Marilyn (pictured below with her foal Norma Jean) was later put to sleep due to severe liver damage, caused by exposure to ragwort before her rescue.
Baby (pictured above right) remains at Redwings, along with Marilyn’s foal Norma Jean. Baby’s foal did not survive.
Redwings welfare vet Roxane Kirton said: “The lack of regard for providing even the horses’ basic needs, including food and water, was heartbreaking. We are delighted that justice has been done.”
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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.