Two sisters handed eight year equine ban following RSPCA prosecution

Rosie Nelson (d.o.b 04/02/1958) and her sister Violet Nelson (d.o.b 22/03/1951) of Houghton Road, Houghton, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to four animal welfare charges in relation to 12 horses when they appeared at Carlisle Crown Court on November 28.

The hearing was told how the RSPCA first became aware of concerns for a large number of horses being kept at Low Woodbank, Briscoe, Carlisle, following information received by equine charity World Horse Welfare.

The RSPCA, along with World Horse Welfare and Cumbria Constabulary, attended the address along with a vet expert on Monday, September 11, 2023 and were welcomed onto the site by the landowners who were not the owners of the horses.

RSPCA inspector Carl Larsson told the court how there were 30 horses on site in total, 14 were contained within a barn and 16 in an adjoining field.

A vet examining the horses found a number to be suffering from ill health which had not been treated, including laminitis which causes foot deformity, dental issues and untreated infections.

One pony was found to be in such ill health that the vet decided the best option was to euthanise him on site to end his suffering.

The vet said: "The spine, ribs and shoulder were very prominent and the neck was narrow due to the poor condition seen. On arrival, the horse was down on the floor of its pen. When he got up off the floor, he was in incredible pain and was rocking back off the front feet and trying to hobble to move. The pony could only shuffle when moving and was unable to walk properly due to pain and when stood in the pen, he was weight shifting and had a very painful facial expression.

"The heart rate was severely elevated at 68 beats per minute and the respiratory rate was markedly elevated at 48 breaths per minute. This is a response to the severe pain that the horse was experiencing.

"An X-ray taken shows that the pony has had severe laminitis. This horse should have been receiving pain relief and euthanasia long before it got to this severe stage.

"The pony has suffered due to this condition for many months and likely extending towards a year. The hooves were severely overgrown and deformed and there was severe thrush in all four feet, which were packed deep with faeces."

All remaining 29 horses were taken into the possession of the police and placed into RSPCA care and have since been nursed back to health with the help of the charity and World Horse Welfare, with many looking to be rehomed now that court proceedings have concluded.

In mitigation, the court gave the pair credit for their guilty pleas and heard the defendants realised in hindsight they should have done more and they never intended to cause harm or suffering.

In sentencing, the judge said the root cause was incompetence rather than deliberate cruelty, but added it should have been obvious the care was inadequate.

As well as the eight-year ban on keeping equines, the pair were also handed a ten-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out ten Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and ordered to pay £800 costs each.

Inspector Larsson said: "These horses were found with various health problems, for which veterinary treatment had not been sought, and sadly, one pony was so poorly he had to be put to sleep. I am pleased that many of the ponies rescued are now in good health and will be rehomed.

"I would like to add how partnership working with other animal charities - in this case, World Horse Animal Welfare - is crucial, and we would like to thank them for their assistance as well as Cumbria police."