Why are so many horses in North Wales being neglected and left to die?

Jamie Bowman looks at the 'horse crisis' in North Wales and hears how one Wrexham charity is doing what it can to save these abandoned animals...

Horses are regularly being “fly-tipped” and left to die by irresponsible owners, according to shocking new evidence from the RSPCA.

The charity said the problem was partly that horses were cheap to buy but expensive to maintain, especially if they needed veterinary care. It said prosecution cases involving horses had risen by 25 per cent since 2015.

The animal welfare charity described it as a “horse crisis” and said some owners felt it was not worth paying a vet to treat an ill horse, or put the animal to sleep and dispose of the body.

The news comes at the same time that statistics showing that prosecutions relating to deliberate cruelty and animal neglect following investigations by RSPCA Cymru’s inspectors have hit a four-year high in Wales.

Throughout 2017, 148 convictions were secured by the RSPCA in magistrates’ courts across Wales, compared to 120 in 2016, 89 in 2015 and 116 in 2014.

In total, the RSPCA investigated 10,176 complaints of cruelty over the calendar year.

RSPCA Cymru’s superintendent Martyn Hubbard said: “It is extremely shocking and deeply saddening to see this level of horrific cruelty across Wales.

“The number of convictions secured now stand at a four-year high in Wales, with our inspectors dealing with disturbing and unique cases of deliberate abuse towards helpless animals.

“Last year we dealt with several distressing cases that involved video evidence, that had been shared via social media.

“Convictions were successfully secured in cases where, for example, a video showed three men launching a rat out of a pipe like a cannonball, while another video showed a pony being brutally whipped and kicked.

“This evidence understandably causes great distress and public outcry.

“Thankfully due to valuable information being reported to us in confidence, we are able to investigate and bring any animal welfare offenders to justice.

“There is just no excuse for animal cruelty and will continue to ensure animal welfare laws are adhered to.

“Prosecution is always a last resort for the RSPCA - and court cases were the huge minority of the 28 complaints we investigated on average every single day of 2017.

“Nevertheless, the nature of cases dealt with by our frontline officers throughout 2017 once again demonstrates the importance of this work, and the necessity of securing justice for abused and neglected animals in all corners of the country.”

Many of the incidents dealt with by RSPCA Cymru throughout 2017 concerned horses, and other equines.

The animal welfare charity is also today highlighting the significant consequences of the ongoing horse crisis.

Despite the efforts of the RSPCA and other equine welfare organisations, the crisis shows no sign of easing, with the charity struggling to find stables and funding to keep the large number of horses it has had to take in.

As soon as one horse is rehomed, another is waiting to immediately fill the stable and, as a consequence, the majority of horses taken in by the RSPCA have to be cared for in private boarding stables at further cost to the charity.

Last year, there were 17 convictions in relation to equines in Wales and RSPCA inspectors dealt with 1,331 equine calls which involved 4,616 equines in total.

In Flintshire 515 cases of cruelty to animals were investigated, with 207 of those involving horses. In Wrexham it was 136 cases out of 426.

The RSPCA’s inspectorate national equine co-ordinator Christine McNeil said: “The cases we had in Wales of equine neglect were extremely shocking in 2017, including a case which an inspector described as the ‘worst case of overgrown hooves’ he had ever dealt with in his 18-year career.

“Up and down England and Wales, horses are being found sick, dying or sometimes dead.

“It is frequently the case that they have been abandoned and left to die. This is upsettingly very common and it’s a massive issue - a very sad one at that.

“We are constantly receiving calls to our cruelty line - on average 80 per day about horses alone across England and Wales - as well as messages every day on social media from very concerned and upset people asking for our help.”

Staff working at H.A.C.K. Horse Sanctuary, near Wrexham, have saved hundreds of horses and ponies since the centre opened

in 1992, but in recent years they have noticed a rise in the examples of cruelty they’ve been called to deal with.

“It’s a definite trend we’ve noticed,” said Jane Lloyd, who volunteers at the sanctuary. “Our last six rescues have been of horses which have been running up busy roads or left on council refuse tips, so it’s a massive problem.”

Jane said that horses were being sold for next to nothing compared with the costs for treating and looking after them.

“If you take a typical male pony, its castration would cost £300 but if you took it to a local auction you might be lucky to £5-£10 for it - they’re not worth any money at all and the market is flooded, so there is just no outlet for these poor animals.”

Jane helps run educational programmes at the sanctuary, involving basic knowledge for potential horse owners and she hopes its efforts like hers which will help teach more people about the “horse crisis”.

“Education is a big part of what we do,” she said. “We take horses into schools and tell the children how much they cost and how much hard work it is to look after them, with the hope that future generations will not be so throwaway with these animals.

“Your average pony can live until its late 20s or early 30s, so it is a much bigger commitment than looking after a hamster or a goldfish.”

Jane has volunteered with the charity for more than 20 years and she says during that time she has seen some “horrific” examples of cruelty.

“I have seen many cases of horses and ponies having to be put down after they’ve been locked away in a garage and left without food and I’ve seen horses absolutely covered in lice,” she added.

“Possibly the saddest was a racehorse that had been left in a field and had an accident where she bumped her head.

“She was left with a bleed on her brain and wasn’t treated and sadly she had to be put down because she was so poorly.”

To report a horse - or any other animal - in need of our help you can call the RSPCA’s cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.