Bristol man banned from keeping horses after one pony found dead along with starving horse

A Bristol man has been banned from keeping equines for ten years after one of his ponies was found dead and a horse in a "shocking state".

Shane Paul Sims was also handed an 18 week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months after he pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences.

RSPCA officers arrived at land in Westerleigh, where one pony, Denz, was found dead on the ground and a horse called Soul, underweight with his bones visible.

Officers said that there was no evidence of supplementary feeding and no evidence of any hay out in the muddy field for the animals.

The vet who examined Soul described his condition in their report.

They said: “This poor body condition score demonstrates that Soul may have been on an unacceptable diet, especially for a young horse.

“This will have led to hunger, muscle breakdown, lethargy and potentially poor development."

The vet also added that the Soul's weight loss and the associated suffering will have occurred over a period of around two months.

Further examination by the vet found that he had thrush in the deep, narrow crevices of the hoof caused by standing in wet conditions and lack of routine foot care.

Tests also showed he had a worm burden but showed nothing abnormal to account for the poor body condition, aside from prolonged starvation.

A post-mortem examination carried out on the dead pony showed that Denz was starved and had a high worm burden.

The vet said: “It is in my opinion that Denz had suffered, although it is impossible to say a specific time.

"I do not believe an animal could have reached a state of such emaciation within less than one month.

"In terms of what suffering Denz would have felt, I am confident that this would not have been a comfortable experience.”

Members of the public initially raised concerns about the state of the two animals to the RSPCA.

RSPCA Inspector Dan Hatfield, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, thankedthem stating the calls had enabled his rescue.

He said: “There is never an excuse to leave animals to suffer. Owners have a duty and responsibility to ensure the needs of their animals are met, this includes making sure they have a suitable diet and the care they need to stay healthy.

“When Soul was rescued he was in a shocking state. It was heartbreaking to see him in such an awful condition alongside his dead friend.

“Thankfully he’s now recovered and looking amazing after getting the help and care he needed.”

Soul was given care by the charity HorseWorld where he has made a full recovery.

In mitigation, it was said this was not deliberate cruelty by Sims. It was said he had no knowledge of horses and knew he should have done more.

Alongside the suspended prison sentence and ten year disqualification, which he can not appeal for eight years, Sims was ordered to pay £200 when he appeared for sentencing at Bristol Magistrates Court on August 5.