Farrier who hit horse with hammer in ‘barbaric attack’ loses appeal against animal ban

A farrier who hit a horse nine times with a hammer in a “barbaric attack” has lost his appeal against his sentence.

H&H reported in March that Scott Manson, 34, had been sentenced at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, having pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. Manson, of Whitecross Cottages, Bridstow, Ross on Wye, was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence and a 10-year animal ban, including working with animals.

He appealed his sentence, specifically the all-animal disqualification, and this was dismissed by Gloucester Crown Court on August 18.

The crown court heard details of the incident that Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court had heard in March; that on 1 April 2022, Manson lost his temper while shoeing a client’s horse, Buddy, and hit him repeatedly with his hammer. Manson hit the horse, who was tied up, nine times in an attack lasting six and a half minutes.

At the time, an RSPCA spokesman said Manson initially claimed the horse had broken his hammer in a message sent to the owner, who checked the yard CCTV.

“The footage showed Manson adopting an aggressive stance, and striking out with his hammer in his hand at the horse’s front legs,” said the spokesman.

“Upon checking the horse, the owner could see his right front leg was bigger than usual and there were various marks on both front legs and around the shin area. The hair had also been taken off and the shin exposed.”

Solicitor Lindi Meyer, who represented the RSPCA in the magistrates’ court, related what the specialist equine vet had concluded.

“[Manson] repeatedly beat the horse around the forelimbs where there is very little in the way of soft tissue covering and as such the blows were almost directly to the bone,” she said. “This would have been incredibly painful for the horse and the farrier is very fortunate not to have caused fractures of any of the limbs.

“The horse was hit nine times viciously in a six-and-a-half-minute video attack which left it with soft tissue swellings and cuts to the limbs. The attack was unprovoked, unacceptable and completely unnecessary and has caused this horse to suffer from both physical and psychological harm.”

Ms Meyer added: “At no point was the farrier trying to teach the horse to stand still, pick its feet up or any other action. The actions were simply to beat the horse out of anger, a short temper, or frustration.

“Whatever the reason, the actions were so barbaric and cruel that the farrier broke the head off a hammer on to the sensitive areas of the front limbs of the horse.”

In mitigation it was said Manson was remorseful, and that he was stressed and visiting his dying mother in Scotland twice a week at the time.

The court also heard that Manson had once thrown a dog out of a car window; the dog fractured its pelvis and had to be put down, which Manson described as an “unfortunate accident”. And he was convicted of harassing his former partner in 2019 and sentenced to a 24-week prison term, suspended for 24 months.

The ban was upheld and Manson was ordered to pay an additional £300 costs.

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“The dog suffered a fracture of the pelvis and subsequently died; Mr Manson described the incident as an unfortunate accident”

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