A man was jailed for three months today for cruelty to three horses.

Two of the animals, a grey mare and a strawberry roan mare, later had to be put down. The surviving horse, a bay-coloured stallion, had not been out of its stable for up to five years and the dung came up above the stable door.

Ernest Horsfield, 66, and his daughter Deborah, 39, admitted three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals at Northallerton Magistrates Court last month.

The court heard that the horses were kept in dilapidated stables on Mr Horsfield's smallholding, Greenbury Farm, in Scorton Lane, South Cowton, North Yorkshire.

Mother-of-two Miss Horsfield, of Meadow Lane, Northallerton, shared their ownership with her father. The horses were found with hugely overgrown feet and were struggling to stand.

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports to be prepared and yesterday they appeared before the same court again.

Claire Brinton, for the Horsfields, said they had received hate mail since the earlier hearing and that Miss Horsfield's car had been vandalised at the weekend.

Magistrates jailed Mr Horsfield for three months. Miss Horsfield was ordered to do 200 hours of community service and pay costs of £750. Both were banned from keeping animals for life but Miss Horsfield was allowed to keep the family dog and budgie.

Sentencing Mr Horsfield, chair of the bench, Anne Hewitt said: "You had a position of responsibility for the care and welfare of the animals and serious injury resulted to all three horses as a result of your neglect.

"Help was only a phone call away but you chose not to contact a farrier or a vet or the RSPCA."

To Miss Horsfield she said: "Although you were a joint owner, you were not there on a regular basis, but you still had a responsibility of care to the animals and you could have sought assistance."

Mrs Brinton applied for bail for Mr Horsfield pending an appeal against the sentence, but her request was refused by the magistrates.

After the hearing, RSPCA inspector Justin Le Masurier said: "These three horses experienced tremendous suffering. Hopefully the sentence will be a warning to people out there."

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