CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7899, 14 November 1904, Page 5

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Case Heard at Masterton.

At the Masterton Police Court, this morning, before Mr W. P. James, S.M., Dennis Reardon was charged with being drunk while in charge of two horses, and with torturing a horse by driving it whilst lame.

Accused pleaded guilty to the charge of drunkenness, but said he had just had the shoe removed from the lame horse, and was going to turn the animals out, as ho had no further use for them for some time.

Constably Lilley gavo evidence to arresting the accus3d. Both his horses were in very poor condition and very old. One was very lame (apparently in the shoulder). The shoes of the other horse had not been removed for some considerable time, causing it to " brush," and were cutting the fetlocks very badly. The shoe had bsen recently removed from the lame foot, but there was no sign of anything being wrong with the hoof. Witness considered it cruelty to use horses in such a state.

T, W. Miller, livery stable keeper, stated that the horses were given into his charge on Saturday. They were in a bad state. One was very lame and the other had a sore. back. They were in very low condition, and appeared to have either been starved or worked very hard. They showed considerable improvement since being placed in witness' care. They were both old horses, and ono in particular was not fit for use. If the other was placed in good feed, there was a chance of it recovering ; but at present it also was not fit to be U3ed. Was almost positive the lameness was. in the shoulder. The hind fetlocks were badly knocked about on account of neglect of shoeing aod the weakness of the horses.

In reply to Mr James, witness stated that he considered one of the horses was in such a state that it should be destroyed.

The accused said the lameness was not in the shoulder, buc in the fetlock.

The Court adjourned while Mr Miller further examined the horses, after which he (Mr Miller) stated he was quite sure the lameness was in the shoulder, and that there was very little chance of the horse ever being fit for use again.

Accused said the horses had been well cared for, but there had been " no feed for them where they had been kept."

Mr James: Is that what you call being well cared for ? Accused: The horses arc in " good heart," and if they have a month in good feed they will be all right again. Mr James said it was very evident that there was not the slightest chance of the one horse ever being fit for use again. The animal was very lame, and it was a disgrace that any man should ride it in such a condition. He (the S.M) had seen the man riding through Queen street on Saturday, and the condition of both the animals had attracted the attention of a number of passersby. Accused seemed to think that bosses did not require any care. The man was also helplessly drunk, and it was impossible to say what might have happened to him had he not been taken in charge. On the charge of drunkenness, a fine of £2, in default seven days' imprisonment, would bo imposed ; and, for cruelty to the horse, a fine of in default fourteen days, the sentences to be cumulative. An order was made for one of the animals to be destroyed.

Accused asked to be allowed time to pay the fines, and Mr James consented to the money being paid at the rate of £1 a week, remarking that it would keep the occurrence fresh in the man's mind for five weeks. The cost of maintaining the horses up to the present was also charged against accused.