Auckland man sentenced after starving horses ate their own faeces

As reported by 1news, an Auckland man who starved his horses, to the point where they had to eat their own faeces, has been sentenced in the Auckland District Court.

The man — who had over 40 years experience in the harness racing industry — was convicted of 30 offences involving 11 horses at his Dairy Flat property.

The man has been sentenced to 160 hours of community work and was disqualified from owning horses for seven years.

The SPCA said his offending took place over a 15 month period between April 2017 and July 2018, and included failure to provide adequate food, exercise, farrier, and dental care.

He also struck his horses with various objects, including a shovel and tied them on a short lead for excessively long periods of time.

Inspectors visited the property multiple times during this period, over concerns about nine stabled horses and four that were contained in muddy paddocks, said the SPCA.

The stabled horses were seen regularly eating their own faeces and sawdust bedding, with little or no access to hay.

The SPCA said that kind of behaviour showed the animals were bored and desperate as they searched for forage.

On one visit, a paddocked horse was observed eating wood from the fence post and chewing dirt, the organisation said.

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Republished from 1news