Horses Hooves Not Trimmed For 15 years – Grow to 3 Feet Long

“OMG…can you believe the picture below?? I’ve only seen hooves like that once before; on a dead horse!! How can the owner have let them get into such a state they could barely move? It’s not like their so skinny they haven’t been fed, ok not a lot of food, but somebody had to have been giving them something; they couldn’t have lived to their ages without any food or water!! I just can’t understand how anyone, even someone with no knowledge of horses at all, is that dumb, to think it’s ok to just leave them! The poor horses must have been agony, any horsey person knows to keep a horse fit & pain free, a farrier is God; horses hooves need trimming between 6-8 weeks it varies; even if they don’t have shoes on, they still need to be trimmed!!

“I just pray whoever owns these horses, get what they deserve; in this instance prison without probation, along with having to pay in full, all vet & farrier bills. It’s going to take a lot of work from a very good farrier to get their hooves back into shape….but even if they do, the horses may be unfit to ride; due to irreversible damage to the structure of their hooves. I’m just in shock & have nothing but utter disgust at the owner’s blatant abuse & disregard for the health & welfare of these poor innocent horses!! R.I.P little one. Many thanks to (http://www.defhr.org/)USA for taking care of these equine!”

By Charlotte Ricca-Smith on 25th-Aug-2015

‘Critical condition’

The emaciated animals were discovered standing knee-deep in muck and with hooves more than three feet long. 

A miniature mare had to be euthanised at the scene due, because ruptured ligaments had caused the fetlocks to dislocate. The two others – one a full-sized stallion and one a miniature stallion ­– were in a ‘critical condition’.

“It’s the worst we’ve seen in our 26-year history,” Caroline Robertson, the development director of Days End Farm Horse Rescue told Caroll County Times. “They could barely move without being at risk of getting tangled in their own hooves.”

Three neglected horses have been found, with feet so overgrown it is believed they were locked up for at least 15 years.

Hooves removed

Before the horses could be removed from the scene, they had to be sedated so they could lie down and have the excess hoof removed. They were then taken to Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR) in Maryland, (http://www.defhr.org/)USA for rehabilitation.

The horses were discovered when a member of the public called the Humane Society of Washington County with concerns about pet pigeons kept there. It was during the welfare inspection that the equines were found.

‘Long road’

Both horses have been aged at around 18. The horse has been called Quest, while the surviving pony has been named Rio. Both have received further treatment from a farrier and vet and are now on the “long road” to rehabilitation.

An investigation into the case is on-going and cruelty charges could be brought.“Never mind could be…they definitely should be!!”

Days End Farm Horse Rescue is a non-profit organisation which currently provides rehabilitation and ongoing care for 78 rescue horses

News Link:–http://www.horseandcountry.tv/news/2015/08/25/horses-hooves-not-trimmed-15-years

 

Two horses deliberately lamed by farrier

“OMG…That man shouldn’t be allowed to work as a farrier ever again, he of all people would know that exposing the lamina would cause horrendous pain to the horse! It was done out of spite, because the lady changed farriers! He intentionally pulled the shoes the way he did using the wrong tools, to cause damage, then intentionally cut the hoof back, that is blatant & gross animal abuse!” 

“So why would the police charge him with criminal damage & not animal abuse…is there more to this case than has been revealed?? Had it been my horses, I wouldn’t have let it lie at a 3 month ban, I would make sure he never worked as a farrier ever again!!”

The owner of two horses deliberately lamed by her former farrier has blasted the Farriers Registration Council (FRC) for not barring him from shoeing horses again.

Mark Wellfair of Bentham, Glos, was handed athree-month ban, running until 23 August, by the FRC’s disciplinary committee on 24 April.

He was convicted of criminal damage to Cassandra Price’s horses on 21 July 2011 at Cheltenham Magistrates Court.

The court conditionally discharged him and ordered him to pay £220.80 compensation with £85 costs.

“I feel completely let down by the system,” said Miss Price. “The cruelty he caused to my horses was horrendous.”

Wellfair shod Miss Price’s horses for five years before she changed farriers in January 2011.

On 7 and 23 February 2011, Wellfair went into Miss Price’s field and pulled a shoe off first her five-year-old eventer Coolagadden Clover (known as Eric) and, on the second occasion, her advanced eventer Arron Carneval Hill II (Arron).

The shoes were pulled off with pliers and the hoof cut back, with large amounts of the hoof wall removed. In Arron’s case, the lamini were revealed, causing the hoof to bleed.

Both horses needed remedial farriery and Arron will always need stick-on shoes.

A vet told the hearing that it would have caused both horses pain and unnecessary suffering.

“Mark told the FRC he wanted to cause me inconvenience,” said Miss Price, “but the suffering he caused to my horses was absolutely disgusting.

“They trusted him because he had been their farrier.”

She said she felt disappointed that the police had prosecuted Wellfair for criminal damage rather than animal cruelty and that the FRC had not banned him for life.

A spokesman for the FRC said: “A three-month suspension is relatively rare and is a serious finding, which the committee considered was fair — taking into account the recovery time for the horses, the impact on the profession and that Mr Wellfair fully admitted the charges and showed remorse for his actions.”

She added that if the committee had felt Wellfair was indifferent to the suffering he caused the horses, it would have barred him from working again.

Wellfair could not be reached by H&H for comment.

News Link:-http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/312911.html