A Brecon man has been fined after admitting using an “unacceptable and inappropriate” method of handling a pony, following the emergence of videos showing the animal being dragged behind a vehicle.
Geoffrey Williams, 63, of Aberbran near Brecon, pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act after failing to protect a pony from pain, suffering and injury through his handling methods.
At Merthyr Magistrates’ Court last week (6 May), Williams was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, £400 in costs and a £400 victim surcharge.
The court heard that the RSPCA received three video clips filmed on 2 April last year showing a black and white pony tied by rope to the back of a quad or gator-style vehicle as it moved down a sloping field.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Rohan Barker told the court that when he visited Williams and showed him the footage, Williams admitted he was the person in the videos.
According to Barker, Williams explained that the technique was one he had used for years to “break in ponies”, although in mitigation he accepted that training methods had changed and said he had not repeated the behaviour.
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‘Harmful experiences’
A veterinary expert from another animal welfare charity reviewed the footage and described the pony as a young cob attached by a headcollar and rope to the moving vehicle during three separate incidents.
In a written statement presented to the court, the vet concluded that the pony had been exposed to “harmful physical and mental experiences” that caused distress, fear and a risk of injury.
The statement added that the experiences shown in the videos could leave the pony with a lasting fear of handling and vehicles, potentially affecting its welfare long into the future.
“Fearful learning experiences are generally not erasable and therefore the pony has in all probability been left with not only a likely physical legacy of harm from the experiences seen in the videos, but also a lifelong fear of handling that could be triggered by exposure to any number of stimuli (like another similar vehicle) in the presence of an unsuspecting future owner/trainer,” said the statement.
‘A gentle approach should be used’
Following sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben stressed the importance of modern, welfare-focused training practices for all horses and ponies.
“The RSPCA believes that all animals should be trained using kind, ethical and science-based methods by appropriately qualified and regulated professionals,” he said.
“Equines need calm, consistent and sympathetic handling by competent people. A gentle approach should be used, and training should be based on a reward-focused system.”
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