Ex-teacher filmed kicking and slapping pony during Cottesmore Hunt cleared of cruelty

  • Video filmed by Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs

A former teacher who was filmed kicking and slapping a horse has been cleared of animal cruelty.

Sarah Moulds, from Melton Mowbry in Leicestershire, was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to her grey pony, called Bruce Almighty.

She was filmed by hunt saboteurs slapping and kicking the horse on 6 November 2021 during Cottesmore Hunt in Lincolnshire.

Ms Moulds lost her job as a primary school teacher a month later.

Sarah Moulds told the court she was chastising the horse. Credit: PA

After a three-day trial at Lincoln Crown Court, the jury of 11 men and one woman cleared the 39-year-old after just over five hours of deliberation.

Ms Moulds had told the court she chastised the horse, which she still owns, after it ran off down the road and that she made “minimal contact".

The court heard there were no signs of injury following the incident, which took place in The Drift, Gunby, Lincolnshire.

Ms Moulds, and several friends and family who have supported her throughout proceedings, wept as the verdict was delivered.

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