A man who failed to seek veterinary treatment for a large wound on his pony’s neck has been banned from keeping equines for five years.
Paul Hunter pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Friday 20 December.
Alongside the ban, he was placed under a 12-month community order which requires him to undertake 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days and is required to pay court costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £114.
A concerned member of the public contacted the RSPCA to report a large neck wound on a piebald pony called Sonny who lived on wasteland close to Airlie Street in Hull.
Makeshift dressing
RSPCA Inspector Natalie Hill and Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Liz Braidley attended the site on 13 February 2024 and discovered Sonny with a makeshift dressing around his neck. Underneath the homemade dressing they found a large wound which was around 25cm long and 5cm deep.
“The pony was covered in a neck-high rug but I was unable to see his feet due to the thick soft mud,” said Inspector Hill in a statement presented to the court.
“Through the metal fencing we found a makeshift bandage placed under the chest piece of the rug. On removing the dressing a large open wound was found at the base of the neck, which looked clean but was very large.”
Paul Hunter arrived at the field when the officers were present and confirmed he owned Sonny. He said he had noticed the wound four or five days previously and that it had been “caused by a rug”. He had bathed it in iodine.
Mr Hunter told the officers Sonny was “well fed, he isn’t suffering he’s just got a cut” but admitted he hadn’t sought veterinary treatment for the wound.
A vet attended the scene and gave Sonny pain relief and a tetanus injection. Sonny was seized by the police and taken to an RSPCA boarding yard.
‘Suffering for weeks’
“A responsible owner would be expected to seek veterinary attention for such an injury,” said the vet.
“Considering the depth of the wound and the amount of swelling present, Sonny is likely to have been suffering for a period of at least four weeks.”
Sonny was also in need of hoof care as his feet were overgrown and he was missing three shoes.
In mitigation, Mr Hunter said he had tried “his best” to keep the wound free from infection. The court was told he suffers from physical ill health and depression following his wife’s death.
He didn’t sign Sonny over to the RSPCA as he hoped the pony might be returned to him. The magistrates imposed a deprivation order to remove him from ownership.
Sonny has since made a good recovery and his wound – which was not caused deliberately – has healed well. He will now be rehomed by the RSPCA.
Images (c) RSPCA.
