A woman from Kent has been banned from keeping horses for 3 years and fined £8,000 after neglecting a young horse.
The chestnut colt was found emaciated and collapsed in a field in January 2013.
Susan Savage pleaded guilty to failing to meet the welfare needs of the horse, at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court last week (15 April).
When found the horse was extremely thin. The RSPCA called a vet to put the animal down.
RSPCA inspector Dave Grant said: “This poor young colt was in a terrible way and suffering a great deal. I just can’t understand how anyone could have just left him like that.
“There was just no flesh at all on his body — he was so skinny.
“We tried to get him to stand several times but he was just too weak and the vet said there was nothing really he could do to alleviate his pain.
“He said he thought this suffering would have been going on for at least 4 weeks — perhaps longer.
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2014: The sentence has been reduced and defendant Susan Savage (DOB 29/08/62) is now no longer disqualified from keeping horses and has had her costs reduced to £500.
