Man fined for leaving horses to die in field

A MAN who abandoned 13 horses in a field without enough food and water, resulting in the death of one, was fined €1,500 at last week’s sitting of Castlebar District Court.
Padraig Walsh (63) of Creevagh, The Neale, was prosecuted under the Animal Health And Welfare Act after he abandoned 13 horses on land that he rented. The court heard that Mr Walsh was a labourer by trade but had become involved in farming and had bought the horses.
His defending solicitor, Ms Cathy McDarby, described this as a ‘terrible idea’. Mr Walsh was charged with unnecessary suffering of an animal, failure to supply sufficient food, failure to supply sufficient water and leaving a carcass unburied. The court heard Mr Walsh abandoned the animals after his son fell ill and Mr Walsh had gone to live in Cork. He had been renting two plots of land, one ten acres in size and the other four acres, and they had both been grazed down by the horses. The water trough was empty and the water tap had been turned off, which resulted in the horses suffering and one dying.
Mr Walsh said he sold the horses for €1,000 and that he had no more animals and had no intention of getting involved in farming, as his son was in hospital.
Veterinary inspector Peter Byrne said that all horses should have a passport and that when they are sold, they should be put on a database. He said Mr Walsh had not complied with this regulation, adding that he could not tell where the horses had gone, as they were not on their database.  
After a short adjournment, Ms McDarby, said her client had given Mr Byrne the name and number of the man who had bought the horses, and that he was now satisfied Mr Walsh did not have them anymore.
Ms McDarby said Mr Walsh was a widower who had spent his life as a labourer but was now on Jobseekers’ Allowance and his prospects for gaining employment were not good.
Judge Mary Devins fined Mr Walsh a total of €1,500.