Fifteen harness horses euthanised after being seized

Olivia Caldwell writes in Stuff that fifteen horses seized from a Kaikōura harness racing breeder’s property have been euthanised.

In September, 44 horses were retrieved by police from Donegal House – a well-known Irish pub and accommodation site, run by standardbred breeder Murray Boyd.

Twenty-nine of the horses were rehomed, and while attempts were also made to rehome the remaining 15, they had not been broken in and “were too dangerous to handle”, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) regional manager animal welfare Murray Pridham said on Friday.

The horses were euthanised on Monday following advice from equine experts, he said.

The court ruled Boyd was no longer able to own or manage horses.

Police, MPI staff, vets, and staff were involved in the horse take back in September.

To read the full story, click here.

by Olivia Caldwell, reprinted with permission from Stuff