From the SSPCA website: Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act. 'The Act, which came into force in October 2006, brings animal welfare legislation up-to-date in Scotland. Until then, it was not possible for a Scottish SPCA Inspector to remove an animal from a situation of distress unless it was certified by a veterinary surgeon as experiencing “unnecessary suffering”. Under the Act, an animal owner commits an offence by failing to meet their animal’s basic welfare needs, including the need for adequate exercise and a suitable diet.' THEY DIDN"T NEED A VET TO REMOVE THESE POOR HORSES

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SSPCA to press for charges over two dead horses - latest excuses from the Scottish SPCA

By John Rowbotham of the Hamilton Advertiser

AN animal welfare charity were this week under fire over the deaths of a horse and a foal. The animals were left in a field in Bartie Gardens, Ashgill, last summer. Villagers claim the horses were neglected and that they starved to death. They say that after the horses died, their stomachs were found to be full of mud. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are investigating the case with a view to submitting a report to the procurator fiscal.

But a woman, who witnessed the deterioration of the animals’ condition, believes that if the charity had acted quicker the horses could have been saved.

The 37-year-old mum said people who appeared to own the horses visted them during the summer. But villagers say they saw no-one tending the horses during the last quarter of the year. They became concerned about the horses during hot weather in August, when they had to fill the animals’ water trough. In October and November, the woman was worried about whether the horses were getting enough to eat and she several times contacted the SSPCA. Staff checked on the horses and said grass in the field was still growing.

Don't we all put away our lawnmowers in the winter months? Since when did grass start growing like this in November. The last flush of growth is September time and that this time of then year, most horse owners would begin to give hard feed to their animals plus hay to supplement the lack of grass. Any decent person would also have been checking to see that the youngster was growing adequately and would give additional feeds to it.

The woman said: “It was a very attractive horse and a lovely foal. “I remained concerned because all November it poured with rain. There was no shelter apart from an old trailer. “The horses had no coats and there was usually a biting cold wind blowing across the field.

“The animals had no chance to dry out and the field was becoming a quagmire, with little or no grass,”

After the woman again expressed concern about the condition of the horses, an SSPCA inspector and vet visited the animals on December 19.

The woman said: “By this time, the horses were very thin. You could see their ribs and their stomachs looked to be swollen.

“I was told that they would be taken away but, two days later, nothing had happened and the foal was found lying down in the field. It was dead.

“The other horse was taken away to the SSPCA horse facility at Balerno where it too died.

“My understanding is that in both cases the stomachs of the horses were full of mud. They had been eating mud because there was no grass left.”

The woman added: “I realise people have rights but the SSPCA should have said ‘you have had your chance to do something, now we’ll take action’.

“I felt the animals died needlessly.

“If the SSPCA had moved a lot quicker, the animals might have been saved.”

A spokesman for the SSPCA said an inspector had visited the field in November and was not seriously concerned about the animals condition.

That changed in December but a vet refused to issue the certificate the SSPCA required to remove the animals from the field.

True to form. The SSPCA always blame someone or something else!! Name and shame the VET if it's true.

The spokesman added that they did, however, issue against the owner of the horses a care notice under the Animal Health and Welfare Act, 2006.

The owner was given three days in which to improve the horses’ condition, but the foal died during that three-day period. The other horse was in such a poor condition that it had to be destroyed.

UNBELIEVABLE. The horses were already dying - clearly at the point of no return.

The spokesman added: “We did what we could within the law and the inspectors who saw the horses are upset by what has happened. I don’t know why the vet would not issue a certificate that would have allowed us to remove the horses.

If the inspectors were so upset - why did they walk away from this desperate situation?

“They are independent and that was their judgment at the time.

“We are investigating the death of these two horses because we would like to press charges (against those responsible).”

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