A woman has been convicted of repeated animal cruelty offences after a court found that four horses in her care had been left to become severely underweight.
Animal welfare inspectors from the NSW RSPCA attended a property near Putty in August last year after receiving reports about the horse’s welfare.
A veterinarian who inspected the property reported that six horses had become severely underweight or infected with Dermatophytosis, a kind of skin condition.
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According to the RSCPA, two of the horses were considered emaciated based on the condition of their bodies.
“The attending veterinarian noted that the paddocks the horses were kept in were mostly dirt, with little to no grass growth, and confirmed that four of the horses were severely underweight,” the RSCPA said.
The RSPCA claimed the horses had not been properly fed for six to eight weeks.
The horses also had sharp, overgrown cheek teeth with one horse also suffering from severe periodontal disease,” it said.
The woman was brought before Singleton Local Court in April, where she was sentenced to an 18-month Intensive Corrections Order to be served in the community, including 200 hours of community service work.
The woman had previously been sentenced to a two-year correction order for similar offences in 2021.
The magistrate said the woman as an owner, had failed the horses by allowing them to suffer for an extended period of time.
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The woman was ordered to dispose of any other animals in her care within 28 days, and she was disqualified from owning any animals for five years.
She was also ordered to pay $19,000 in vet care and shelter costs to the NSW RSPCA.
Four of the horses remain in the care of the RSCPA.
Images released by the society today show that many of the horses have gained back some of the weight they lost.
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