Leeds: Neglected horses ready to be rehomed after three year recovery

Sam, a chestnut gelding thought to be about 20 years old, was found with painful splayed hooves

Three horses which have been nursed back to health after being found neglected and living in hazardous conditions are to be rehomed.

Sam, Pepsi and Tony were rescued by police from a field in Leeds in April 2020.

Their owner was found guilty of animal welfare offences in January 2022.

The RSPCA said each animal had recovered from "pain, injury and disease" and was ready for a suitable new home.

Pepsi, a 17 to 23-year-old mare - pictured above before rescue and after recovery - was found in a malnourished condition, RSPCA inspectors said

The animal charity said Sam, a chestnut gelding, was found with his ribs, hips and pelvis visible and his hooves "severely overgrown, splayed and cracked".

Inspectors said Sam would need close monitoring for the rest of his life due to the "chronic neglect of his hooves".

They said Pepsi, a bay mare, was in a similarly "malnourished body condition" while Tony, a Shetland gelding, had suffered "an untreated lice infestation".

All three animals had overgrown hooves and inadequate dental care, a spokesperson for the RSPCA added.

A third horse, Toni, had suffered patchy hair loss as a result of an untreated lice infestation, the charity said

A vet who gave evidence at the trial at Kirklees Magistrates' Court said their owner had "failed to take preventative health care measures to protect them from pain, injury, suffering and disease."

The owner had denied neglect and appealed against the conviction, but abandoned it in January 2023, which meant the RSPCA could now legally begin the process of rehoming the horses.

All three animals had been transformed with care and were now ready to be rehomed, an RSPCA spokesperson said

RSPCA inspector Kris Walker, said: "After nearly three years, we're pleased that this long-running case has finally concluded and we can, at last, start to find permanent new homes for Sam, Pepsi and Tony.

"The contrasting pictures of the horses now and then speak for themselves."

"It's clear that once they started to receive appropriate nutrition, endoparasite care and dental treatment, they started to go from strength to strength," Insp Walker said.