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SPCA/Supplied
Dairy Flat man Colin Evans has been convicted of neglecting 11 horses in his care. The horses were left without forage for long periods of time and resorted to eating their own faeces.
A man has been sentenced to 160 hours community service after leaving his horses without food for so long that they resorted to eating their own faeces.
Dairy Flat resident Colin Evans, who has over 40 years’ experience in the harness racing industry, was recently convicted for failing to adequately care for 11 horses.
“This is one of the most large-scale and complex investigations SPCA has undertaken and we are determined to act as a voice for those who can’t speak for themselves,” chief executive Robyn Kiddle said in a statement.
Evans failed to provide his horses with food, exercise, dental and farrier care between April 2017 and July 2018.
During this time, SPCA inspectors grew concerned that the horses were going without forage for up to 12 hours each day.
“Over a 22-day period, just eight bales of hay were brought to the stables for all 13 horses,” an SPCA statement read.
“At one point, the defendant told inspectors that horses did not need hay, as hay was not a necessity”.
Inspectors witnessed horses eating their own faeces and sawdust while inside a stable. They were also seen licking metal partitions and chewing objects such as tyres.
MARK TAYLOR/STUFF NZ
An SPCA inspector talks about looking out for animals over summer. Video first published on January 12, 2020.
Horses were also kept in muddy paddocks. On one occasion, a horse was seen eating a wooden fence post and chewing dirt.
“This behaviour demonstrated a degree of boredom and desperation as the horses searched for forage.”
Evans claimed his horses were being exercised for at least an hour each day, however the SPCA found that over a three-week period, five horses were let out on occasional days for 20 to 30 minutes, while four horses did not leave their stalls at all.
One stallion, who Evans was seen punching and hitting in the face, spent just five hours outside his stall over 22 days.
The SPCA and police conducted a search warrant and seized 13 horses from Evans in July 2018.
A vet assessment found the majority of the horses had ulcers due to their sharp teeth.
“The state of the horses’ mouths was consistent with mouths of wild horses that had never had dental treatment before” they said.
A farrier said the horses’ feet indicated that they had been kept in unhygienic boxes soiled with urine for long periods of time. Four horses kept outside had hooves consistent with standing in wet mud for a long time.
Kiddle said the SPCA was appalled with Evans’ ongoing neglect of the horses.
“It’s unfathomable and absolutely heartbreaking that these horses were mistreated and left to the point where they had to eat their own faeces and pieces of wood.”
Evans was given plenty of opportunity to provide the horses with better care, but did nothing to improve their welfare.
“No animal should be treated this way, and we’re pleased we were able to provide these horses with the care they deserve.”
The Auckland District Court convicted Evans of 30 offences. He was ordered to pay the SPCA $16,909.12 in court costs and banned from owning horses for seven years.
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