A West Yorkshire woman has been banned from keeping equines for life after her emaciated Shetland pony was found dead in a stream, having most likely fallen down a steep bank while trying to reach his only available source of water.
Harriet Midgley, 26, of Brighouse, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 12-year-old Pip under the Animal Welfare Act. She was sentenced at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on 10 July following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
As well as an indefinite ban on keeping equines, Midgley was handed an 18-month community order, ordered to complete 270 hours of unpaid work, and told to pay £750 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
She cannot apply to have the disqualification lifted for 10 years.
Buckets frozen solid
Pip’s body was discovered in a stream at Wood Bottom Lane, Brighouse, on 11 January 2025.
RSPCA inspector Adam Dickinson, who attended the site, described the field as being covered in snow and ice and littered with hazards, including barbed wire, sharp metal, broken fencing and unstable flooring in former pig buildings.
“The floor was completely covered in faeces and was approximately 10cm thick for the most part, with some areas being 20-30cm deep,” he said.
“The area of the beck where Pip was found could not be accessed any other way than down the bank. This was down a 7-8m drop and a gradient of approximately 70 degrees.
“You could see the flattened vegetation and it appeared Pip had fallen down the bank, rather than walked.”
Buckets that should have contained water were frozen solid, meaning the stream was the grey pony’s only accessible water source.
A veterinary expert said it was impossible to determine whether Pip drowned or died before entering the water, but concluded it was “highly probable” that he had been attempting to reach the stream for water when he fell.
Emaciated state
The vet also found clear evidence that Pip had been suffering from primary malnutrition for many weeks and said his owner therefore “had more than ample time to respond to his failing health”.
“The pony was in an emaciated state and would have been far too weak to traverse a bank as steep as that,” the vet said in written evidence.
The court heard Pip was in extremely poor body condition when he died, with his spine, ribs and hips clearly visible.
He was taken to an equine crematorium and his shoulders, neck and head were all stained brown from where he had been submerged underwater.
Witnesses had previously raised concerns with Midgley about the pony’s living conditions, including inadequate grazing, poor fencing and the state of the field, but offers of help had reportedly been declined.
Following snowfall on 5 January 2024, no footprints were seen in the field. Midgley later confirmed she had not visited to feed Pip after the snow fell.
CCTV also showed a member of the public had provided the pony with hay on 30 December, 13 days before his body was found.
The veterinary expert concluded that Midgley had failed to provide Pip with an adequate diet, a suitable environment or appropriate veterinary care.
‘Well intentioned but incompetent’
During her interview with the RSPCA, Midgley said Pip had begun losing weight two to four weeks before she last saw him, although she believed he had been fed regularly.
The court also heard the pony had not seen a vet during the time she owned him, apart from an initial visit.
In mitigation, the court heard Midgley’s care had been “well intentioned but incompetent” and that she had a “deep love of horses”.
In sentencing, magistrates described the circumstances of the case as “horrible”.
Images © RSPCA
