Woman spared jail after neglected horses left with hooves so overgrown they could barely walk

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A woman from Lancashire who neglected her horses so badly four of them had to be put down has been spared jail.

Julie Lee, 51, of Spitten Farm in Accrington, failed to give her six horses, who were kept on a field outside Bury, proper care, leaving them needing treatment from vets, farriers, and dental care. Some of the horses, which included a 12-year-old Shetland pony, were so lame they could hardly walk, after their hooves became overgrown and barely functional.

The horses, which were being kept in a field at Hen Heads Farm on Kings Highway, near Haslingden, were first seen by the RSPCA on October 12 last year, after the charity had been alerted to the neglect by a concerned member of the public. Inspectors Susie Micallef and Alison Fletcher attended, alongside officers from the World Horse Welfare charity.

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There, they found four of the horses had overgrown hooves, with a vet later confirming they were all lame - meaning they were unable to move or stand properly. Three were overweight, and examinations showed some of the horses had not been given proper dental care.

The RSPCA were forced to call out vet Suzanne Green, who tragically had to put three of the horses to sleep at the farm to end their suffering. Although the other three were taken into the charity's care and transferred to boarding accommodation, a fourth horse, a Bay Welsh mare, had to be put to sleep just three days later because she was suffering so badly.

The 12-year-old Shetland pony, one of the three to be put to sleep at the farm, was in so much pain she could barely move. A statement from Inspector Fletcher said: “She had extremely overgrown hooves, with