Owner fined over trailer tragedy
A horse owner has been fined after his horse fell through the floor of his trailer and had to be put down
The owner of a mare, who had to be destroyed after the floor of a trailer she was travelling in collapsed, has been fined.
Alexander Gold, 38, from Perthshire admitted causing unnecessary suffering and was fined £500 by Perth Sheriff Court.
The court heard how the owner had just purchased the part-bred Clydesdale mare and her foal for £650.
Mr Gold was transporting the pair home in a trailer he had bought two weeks earlier, but was forced to stop about a mile down the road after it became apparent something was wrong.
On investigating he found the mare’s leg bleeding and a hole in the floor of the trailer. He bandaged the mare’s leg, made a temporary repair to the floor and carried on.
After continuing for another mile he was stopped by a motorist who thought he had a pheasant stuck under the vehicle.
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The “pheasant” was in fact the mare’s foot which had suffered extensive damage.
After being examined by a vet the mare was humanely destroyed. The foal was uninjured in the incident.
Sheriff Cameron told Alexander Gold: “This mare did not deserve this tragic and painful end.
“I can understand your distress at these events but you profess to be a horseowner. I think more could have been expected ofyou, particularly when you realised something was wrong with the horse and box.”
Jon Phillips from the Horsebox and Trailer Owners Association said: “This happens more often than people think. People don’t realise that the floor of a trailer or horsebox can rot, even if it is covered by rubber.”
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