A BOURNEMOUTH woman who left her horse to suffer without appropriate veterinary care has not been banned from keeping animals.

Tracey Atchison, 57, was found guilty of an animal welfare offence in relation to a chestnut gelding New Forest pony called Sonny, following a prosecution by the RSPCA.

Inspectors from the charity began an investigation after they were contacted with concerns about the horse, who was found to have severe malignant sarcoids – areas of inflammation – that had not been appropriately treated for a number of years.

Atchison, of East Howe Lane, Bournemouth, was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on June 24 following a trial.

RSPCA inspector Tina Ward, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Sonny had large areas of skin covered with sarcoids of different types and growths sizes on his chest and between his front legs, between his back legs and around his sheath.”

Two independent vets examined Sonny, with both concluding he needed to be put to sleep because of the severity of his condition, due to the fact that he had not received appropriate treatment early enough in the disease process.

In a report, one of the vets said: “He was clearly showing signs of pain around these sarcoids and would anticipate that someone touching them would be painful and would step away and clench his muscles.

“The sarcoids on this horse were ulcerated, bleeding, they ranged in size from approximately 14cm down to 0.5cm. Sonny smelt of necrotic tissue when up close.

“In my professional opinion, this horse was suffering from pain associated with sarcoids in multiple locations on its body that was likely to have been ongoing for a minimum period of two years.

“This owner failed to meet this horse’s needs by failing to seek veterinary attention when this horse required it as a result of a chronic, malignant cancer.”

Atchison, who had been treating the horse with a cream that she mixed up herself, was fined £120. She was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

This was after she was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal in Horton Heath between November 17, 2017, and November 19, 2019.

Court papers said the defendant was not ordered to be disqualified from ownership of animals as the court was satisfied that due to length of time since the offence was committed, the defendant had proved she was able to look after another horse, and she was of previous good character.