A man and a woman from Yorkshire have been banned from keeping equines for 10 years after they were prosecuted by the RSPCA following an investigation into the neglect of horses and donkeys on farmland.
Alan Riley (D.o.B 20/5/1970) and Sarah Nethercoat, (D.o.B 14/7/1989), both formerly of Park Avenue, Beverley, East Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a pony named Melody and a donkey called Maggie under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
They appeared for sentencing at Hull Crown Court on March 11 when a judge imposed a six-month prison sentence on both defendants, which he suspended for two years. The pair were also told to complete 25 rehabilitation activity days as part of their sentence.
The court heard that RSPCA inspectors Tom Hutton and Alice Wilsonalong, along with staff from the Donkey Sanctuary charity, paid a visit to Ashfield Farm in Wilfholme, between Beverley and Driffield, where they found around 25 equines, owned by the pair, living in poor conditions in a field and barn.
Inspector Hutton said in a statement presented to the court that on the visit on November 17, 2021, there were concerns for the health of four equines, in particular an elderly pony and a donkey.
“There were around 23 equines in a large paddock and an open barn with a thick straw bedding with excessive faeces inside,” said the inspector. “As I walked around the field, there were several hazards littering the perimeter, including bits of loose wire, fallen fencing and loose fence posts. One small pony was extremely underweight as it walked across the field towards us with her head down. Her ribs and hip bones were excessively prominent.”
The elderly pony, called Melody, (pictured) was suffering with two large wounds and one small one to her side. They were inflamed and bleeding and in a vet’s expert opinion they had been left untreated for weeks, if not months.
There was also a 15-year-old pregnant donkey, called Maggie who required urgent treatment to her hooves. X-rays taken later showed that the failure to provide hoof care had caused malformed bone structures within her feet and osteoarthritis.
Melody and Maggie and the two other horses were removed from the field, with Melody later transferred to an equine hospital for treatment. Sadly, she was in such a poor condition that a vet decided the best course of action to end her suffering was to put her to sleep. A post-mortem showed that she was suffering from severe dental disease which had contributed to the 27-year-old’s emaciated state as she was unable to eat properly.
The court was told in mitigation that Riley had undergone bowel surgery and suffered from mental health problems. For Nethercott, it was said that she required more help for the equines she was caring for. She had now lost her livelihood and both defendants were said to be “effectively homeless”.
In sentencing, the judge, Recorder Alistair MacDonald KC, said: “It is perfectly clear to me that Melody was suffering greatly. She was chronically malnourished and was in desperate need of routine treatment from a vet. Maggie was not seen by a vet or farrier and was provided with no pain relief and a vet concluded the very poor condition of her hooves had been present for many weeks, if not months.”
Speaking after the sentencing, RSPCA inspector Tom Hutton said: “This was a clear case of neglect. Both these equines were left in appalling conditions when they needed urgent vet treatment and one sadly had to be put to sleep because she was so unwell.”
