A Pontyberem farmer has been given a suspended sentence for severely neglecting three horses.
Stephen Fanstone, 57, of Parcnewydd Farm, was given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
One of the horses had hooves that were so overgrown that an equine vet said they hadn’t been trimmed for over three years.
Fanstone was also banned from keeping all animals for five years at Llanelli Magistrates Court, following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
He had previously admitted three animal welfare charges at an earlier hearing last month but said he “hadn’t noticed” the terrible state his animals had got into.
The court heard how RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben visited the farm on April 6 to see that grey mare Rose and chestnut gelding Muffy in a very thin bodily condition with their hips, ribs and spines clearly visible.
Muffy weighed just 328 kg (723 lbs) compared to the expected 500 - 600 kg (1,102 - 1,322 lbs). He also had areas of hair loss and crusting over the body.
Rosie was found to have untreated melanoma in her mouth which had been ongoing for months to years, with clear signs of malnutrition and signs suggesting no effort was made to treat her skin condition.
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Another grey mare, Lily, was overweight and had severely overgrown, hooves which curled up off the ground.
A vet said the length of the hooves accounted for at least three years of growth and that Lily also had the extremely painful condition laminitis.
After examining the horses on site, the vet said it was her opinion that all three had been caused unnecessary suffering and needed to be removed.
Sadly, all three horses were in such poor condition that they were later put to sleep on veterinary advice to prevent further suffering.
In mitigation, Fanstone, who was also ordered to pay £400 in costs, a £128 surcharge and attend a 20-hour RAR, said he hadn’t realised how bad their condition was.
Speaking after the case, inspector Hogben said: “It would have been obvious to anyone who was attending to these horses that they all needed urgent veterinary treatment, and if this had been administered sooner, they may still have been alive today.
“The neglect of these animals was shocking, yet their owner thought there was nothing wrong with them when concerns were first raised with him.”
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