Neglected horses suffer "horrific" injuries from being left in Portsmouth field with poisonous weeds

Eight equines were left unattended on a patch of council-owned conservation land in Farlington without permission. John Darren Ware, 47, of Blakemere Crescent, Paulsgrove, has been banned from keeping horses for ten years.

The field - in the Farlington Triangle Conservation area - was heavily contaminated with dangerous weeds, with the animals not having shelter and not being given additional hay or feed. Three of the ponies had extensive facial lesions, which were thick, raised, brown and crusting. Representatives from the charity World Horse Welfare alerted the RSPCA, which launched an investigation.

It was found that the lesions covered the muzzle - including nostrils, lips and chin - of the horses. Raised crusting lesions - which were shedding skin - covered their bodies. The RSPCA said they were left with a “depressed and dull demeanour”. The other five ponies had similar injuries on their muzzle but less severe. It was suspected that it was caused by a toxic substance. Veterinary tests revealed that all eight ponies were not in good health due to inflammation and chronic inflation.

The animals showed evidence of burns to the non-pigmented skin that is consistent with damage by UV light, caused by St John’s Wort. “Certain weeds, like St John’s Wort, contain photodynamic agents that when the horse has contact or ingests the weed there is an exacerbated reaction to sunlight causing burns to the skin,” the veterinary report said. “This would be termed a primary photosensitisation, other weeds, such as Ragwort can cause damage to organs. The resulting damage prevents the filtering of photosensitive waste products so they are retained in other areas of the body, such as the skin, which cause what is known as a secondary photosensitisation.”

The vet added: “Horses suffering from photosensitisation should be removed from direct sunlight, prevented from further contact with the photodynamic agent, protected from the sun with shelter and burns injuries treated. The vet highlighted that burns around the muzzle are particularly painful because it is highly sensitive.”

Ware was summoned to Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court as part of the investigation. In mitigation, he said he was unaware of the severity and thought it was sunburn. He added that he applied sun cream to one of the horses about a week before the visit by the charities but did not seek veterinary help. He admitted to two animal welfare offences which took place between between June 30 and July 29, 2022.. As well as being banned from keeping equine, Ware was ordered to pay £750 in costs, a victim surcharge and carry out 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days.

World Horse Welfare Field Officer Penny Baker said: “This was a truly horrific case. I do not think I have ever seen ponies with so much crocodile-like skin around their muzzles. They must have been in excruciating pain. Keeping a horse or pony well is about much more than just food and water – it’s also making sure they do not have access to poisonous plants, can be protected from the elements and of course get prompt veterinary treatment when they need it. We are very grateful to the member of the public who alerted us to these ponies, and we were pleased to be able to work with the RSPCA to remove them from this appalling state of neglect.”

Hampshire’s RSPCA Chief Inspector Paul Williams added: “We’re so grateful to World Horse Welfare for helping these horses. Thankfully they’ve now recovered. Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment they need when they need it. Animals are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy.”