CRUELTY TO A HORSE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11451, 27 February 1931, Page 7

CRUELTY TO A HORSE

CONTRACTOR FINED £1

Before Messrs. A G. Beere and I. Mirfield,. J’s.P., -ftt the • Police• Comt yesterday, a contractor was charged , with working a geMing when-its leg. were cut. and chafed by trace-chains, i rind with working .a mare, withJW hoofs. Unshod. Defendant pleaded not o-uiliv to both • charges.• - Constable Allen, of Patiitali), said that in liis opinion., neither , lorse was fit. to be worked. ;. Some of the... cuts Oil the s legs were mad© by the chains, hut the position r, other cuts precluded that idea. . Defendant in evidence, said that ; the gelding • was an outlaw that tie bad been asked to work. ,the geld- , ing was flighty, and practically unbroken, and required continuous work to bring him into proper eonditipn The cuts wore caused by the-horse 1 getting into a wire fence and the trace-chains’ chafing was duo to Mho liorse being young mud green. Witness. claimed 20 yea.*’ OTOjlg/ in contracting, and > stated: .JfiaF ho had never worked a horse id a 'Scoop with shoes on, owing to the likelihood of shoes cutting the coronets of the other legs-when turning. The load was not metalled, and no tioublo would arise f f rom the horses being un-Oross-exaniined, witness stated that Constable Allen’s evidence 1 ns. .the injuries was .correct, lhe.hprse; liad been tried on a log, but it was im \ possible to liqld the horse on _ a log, and it was necessary to put min in a.■"-scoop-team with other horses to make him useful. .. He was an oxcCp-tional-horse to handle, and had given a lot of-trouble, but if ho was Worked, a- day or" two longer, Ins : tracesores would dry up and lie would be quite all right, and a useful horse. . The ibench . expressed tfie opinion that a certain amount of cruelty bad been inflicted and defendant was convicted and fined ,£1 ; on the first, charge. : Th e se'cOnd charge would be dismissed. . v' , „ • -An application by defendant toi the -suppression of his’ name was granted. .' i V : V' ■'£■■■