£6,000 penalty for neglect

Boomer was found by a walker. Picture: RSPCA

A father who abandoned a pet horse suffering from severe foot abscesses has been made to pay thousands of pounds in compensation to the RSPCA.

Lee Airey (47) failed to provide appropriate care to ensure the welfare of Boomer, a grey Dartmoor pony.

Airey, of Frederick Street, Coppice, was aware of the abscess in the horse’s right hind foot but didn’t call a vet. He instead opted to treat it himself with a mixture of vinegar and salt water.

Yesterday at Tameside magistrates court, he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary harm.

The animal was kept at Strawberry Lane fields in Mossley. Airey treated the foot on November 4, 2010 but failed to return in the following days. Codes of practice for horse care say horses on grass must be checked at least once a day.

When a walker found Boomer collapsed, covered in mud and unwatered two days later, the RSPCA was called. Officers found she couldn’t bear any weight on her leg. Boomer was taken to a local stables to recuperate.

Airey was tracked down by police who established he was the animal’s main carer. He accepted full responsibility for his lack of care.

Airey, who owns three other horses, said: “I believed I was doing the right thing in caring for her in that way. I thought she was showing signs of improving. But I had no reason not to get help, other than being low on money at the time.”

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe ordered Airey to pay £6,000 compensation to the RSPCA, to cover the coss of restabling Boomer. An extra £6,000 in vet fees would be paid from public funds.

He said: “The public needs to be aware that if people will mistreat animals, then they will face prosecution and punishment. You knew Boomer was in pain, and that you should have seen her after the Thursday, but didn’t. That in itself would have been enough to find you guilty.”