Kent woman found guilty of causing horses to suffer

By Larissa Chapman

General news

24 January 2012 17:00

A woman from Kent has been sentenced to a five year ban from keeping horses after they were found in a ‘terrible condition’.

Suzanne Hefferman also known as Sue Williams, 43, of Sidcup, Kent was found guilty yesterday (Monday 23 January) at Bromley Magistrates of 10 offences brought by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

On Friday 3 December 2010, World Horse Welfare Field Officer Claire Gordon visited the site on North Cray Road, Sidcup with RSPCA Inspectors Vicki Dawe and Becky Timberlake after the RSPCA received an emergency call regarding two collapsed ponies.

Hefferman and Veterinary Surgeons Jane Morgan and Robert Pascoe from Bell Equine Vets were on site and attending to a collapsed, emaciated Shetland mare called Ugly Betty who required immediate euthanasia to relieve her suffering.  Subsequent examination of all the horses led to five more being removed and warning notices issued to ensure the care of those remaining.  Those animals removed were all in an emaciated condition and covered in lice.

Only three of the five survived as Annie (a young brown filly) and Scary Mary (a brown Shetland mare) were euthanised that weekend as they were in such a poor condition and could not be saved.  However, Oliver (a piebald colt), Rocky (a skewbald colt youngster) and Teeny Tiny Tony (a brown miniature Shetland foal) were rescued and taken to World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton, Norfolk.

Hefferman was yesterday found guilty of failing to meet the needs of the horses by failing to provide them with a suitable environment and failing to provide a suitable diet, and of causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide the necessary veterinary treatment for emaciation, diarrhoea, hypothermia and oedema.  She was sentenced on the same day.

Claire Gordon said: “The conditions of the livery yard were the worst I have ever seen.  The stables were filthy and saturated with urine and had clearly not been mucked out for several weeks.  The ponies were found without food or water and many were emaciated or in poor bodily condition.  They all had huge parasite burdens being riddled with lice and worms.  A subsequent post mortem examination of Ugly Betty found only sand in her intestine.  There was only one bale of hay, which had been left outside uncovered under the snow, which was insufficient for a yard which had 30 horses and ponies stabled there. 

“It was clear that no one had attended to the horses for several days as there was no evidence of footprints or any disturbance in the snow, which was about a foot and a half deep at the time.

“I am pleased that Ms Williams has been found guilty and received a ban on keeping horses as the ponies were in such a terrible condition at a time when the weather was so bitterly cold.  She has shown no remorse throughout and failed to acknowledge the failings in the care she provided to her horses despite repeated advice and warnings from myself and the RSPCA in the preceding months.”

Teeny Tiny Tony, Rocky and Oliver have been undergoing rehabilitation at World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk.  Rocky and Oliver have successfully completed their rehabilitation and are now ready to be rehomed.

RSPCA inspector Vikki Dawe said: “There is no excuse for the neglect that these horses were subjected to.  We are always looking for good homes for horses in RSPCA care so we would urge prospective owners to contact us and World Horse Welfare to talk about rehoming horses.”