CRUELTY TO A HORSE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16538, 23 September 1921, Page 8

CRUELTY TO A HORSE

DRIVER FINED £3. At the Magistrate’s Court this afternoon before Mr Wyvern "Y\ ilson, S.M.. David James White, inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Mr W. J. Hunter) proceeded against William Crow (Mr W. F. Tracy) charging him with cruelly illtreating a gelding by working it in yoke while it was suffering from a sore back. The inspector said that on September 8 he received a complaint that a man was ill-treating a horse in a monumental yard. Witness went along and found the defendant trying to back the horse and a load of shingle into the yard. Witness asked defendant if he had struck the horse on the back with a whip nnd defendant admitted it. Witness then asked the defendant if the horse had a sore back and he replied that it had. Witness asked defendant to remove the saddle, and under it was a sore about three inches long and two inches wide. To Mr Tracy: He examined the sore nnd considered it was caused through not keeping the horse clean, and through friction of the cart saddle. He did not see the defendant ill-treat the horse but the defendant admitted that lie gave it a few cracks over the head. At the suggestion of the Magistrate the word “yoke” was altered in the charge to “harness.” Air Tracv said the defendant had been working for a contractor, and the horse was stabled nt Hornby. The horse was suffering from heat boils, and defendant had spelled it for several days. Although he knew tho horse had the boil, the boil was hard that morning, and defendant did not know it had broken until the saddle nnd sack were removed. The sack was folded into three layer*;, so as to protect the boil. The defendant said the horse was owned by Mr Smart, an osphalter. of Svdenham, and the horse was stabled at Hornby. His employer rang him up on the telephone each day and gave him instructions for tho day. Be had since lost his job. Mr Hunter: When the horse would not back into the yard you clouted it on the bnt'k of the head and kicked it? Defendant: Yes. Mr Hunter: Did Mr Smart say you were a cruel man with the horse when he dismissed von? Defendant: He said something like that. To Mr Tracy: Mr Smart told him. the inspector had said he had to he put off. The Magistrate said he believed the defendant was a cruel man with horses Ho would be fined £3 and costs, 7s. and ordered to pay the solicitors fee. the amount to be payable in instalments of 15s a week.