A WOMAN who admitted neglecting her horses has avoided an immediate prison sentence but she has been banned from owning horses for 10 years.
Nadine Robinson, aged 45 and of Fernlea, Christchurch, pleaded guilty to two offences following an investigation by animal welfare charity the RSPCA.
She admitted one count of failing to meet the needs of two horses, called Maddison and Flame, and one of causing unnecessary suffering to Flame.
Robinson was handed a 10-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and a ten-year disqualification from owning equines.
The RSPCA said the horses were found to be in poor bodily condition and were not having their needs met over a long period of time.
Robinson had been offered advice and assistance but continued to fail to provide ongoing care for her horses, leaving them in an unsuitable environment without food, water, or adequate care.
RSPCA inspector Tina Ward, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said after the sentencing: “Caring for horses is a huge responsibility. Providing food and water, alongside regular and routine care, is vital.
“Those caring for animals also have a legal responsibility to seek veterinary treatment for animals when they require it.
"It is never acceptable to leave an animal to suffer.”
Court papers said that the custody threshold had been crossed as the offences were “extreme neglect” which caused suffering to two horses and the crimes were committed over a “considerable period of time” during which passers by and the RSPCA offered advice and guidance.
The defendant “disregarded or ignored” this and the sentence imposed was to serve “both as a punishment and to send a general deterrent effect”.
Alongside the suspected sentence and ban from keeping horses, Robinson was ordered to comply with a curfew, which said she must stay in her home between 7pm and 7am for three months.
She was also ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge and £780 costs when she appeared before Poole Magistrates’ Court on July 4.
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