Woman charged after starving horse

Friday, 2 December 2011 10:47

A Suffolk woman has been charged with animal cruelty after leaving two horses undernourished in a pasture on Manning road.

Animal Control officers performed a welfare check after a number of reports and concerns were raised about the two horses on the pasture, specifically the chestnut mare that appeared undernourished, back in July of this year. The checks that were undertaken revealed that the horse in question had a disease causing it to burn calories rapidly, requiring medicine and more food in order to gain sufficient weight.

When welfare officers checked the horses again early in November they found that a significant change had occurred to the unhealthy horse – but not in a positive way. The horse was clearly severely malnourished and had lost a lot of weight; in fact, both horses were left without shelter or food, and their pasture was littered with debris.

Both horses have now been taken into foster care, and their owner has since been charged with animal cruelty. This is a sad affair that is becoming far too common in the current climate, and horses are suffering more and more thanks to an economic drop in worth.