Everything for
horse & rider

A woman who left more than 20 horses in ‘dreadful’ conditions has today been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to them. Banff Sheriff Court convicted 65 year old Valerie Pritchard of Cuminestown, Turriff, Aberdeenshire of five offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

During the trial, the court heard that World Horse Welfare Field Officer Doug Howie visited a field at Ms Pritchard’s farm on Wednesday 14 May 2009. The visit was in response to a telephone call to our UK Welfare Hotline from a member of the public who was concerned about a large number of horses in a field which looked underweight.

On arrival, Doug Howie found a foal which had been still-born that morning along with a herd of more than 20 semi-feral horses consisting of stallions, mares and foals. They were in a poached field with several areas of marshland, little grass and no shelter.

One of the fillies, a two-year old, could not get to her feet, was sweating and her eyes were rolling. A vet was requested and shortly afterwards the horse was put to sleep.

Several visits were needed to be made to assess the situation and determine the best course of action. On one of these visits Doug Howie and Eileen Gillen, who is the World Horse Welfare Centre Manager at Belwade Farm, detected a strong smell of decaying flesh from one of the sheds and 12 to 15 carcasses of horses were found.

The remaining 23 horses, which were all underweight, had poor feet and were covered in lice, were taken to World Horse Welfare’s Belwade Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Aberdeenshire, some of which have now been rehomed.

During a previous court appearance, Ms Pritchard admitted to one charge of failing to dispose of carcases but had previously denied the other four charges of causing unnecessary suffering and one charge of failing to provide for the welfare of her horses.

After hearing the verdict Field Officer Doug Howie said: “We are pleased that Ms Pritchard has been found guilty today as this case shows there was a blatant disregard to care for these animals. They were kept in dreadful conditions and had never been wormed, vaccinated, or seen a vet for many years.

“These horses could have easily died if left in the location where we found them but now many of them will go on to lead happy, useful lives in loving new homes.”

Valerie Pritchard was convicted of all five charges and is due to be sentenced on Tuesday 1^st November 2011 at Banff Sheriff Court.