Woman could see 'suffering' horses from kitchen window

Yvonne James, 42, of Ings Road, Spaldington, left the horses in a "dreadful" state despite being able to see them from her kitchen window.

A fourth horse at the property had died, but by the time the RSPCA were called to her home, on January 14 last year, in it was impossible to determine cause of death as it had decomposed.

The other three were "very thin" and were removed from her care.

James pleaded guilty at Goole Magistrates' Court to causing unnecessary suffering to three horses, failing to provide proper veterinary care for a large infected wound on one animals, and failing to investigate the poor condition and weight loss of the same horse.

After the hearing, RSPCA inspector Hannah Bryer said: "These horses were in a dreadful state when the RSPCA intervened.

"They were covered in their own excrement because of the conditions they were living in.

"One of them had a large and very deep wound which had become severely infected. It had been suffering as a result for at least seven months.

"All three horses were in poor body condition, but two of them were almost at death's door. The vet who examined them said they would have died if the situation had gone on unchanged."

In mitigation, the court heard James was finding it difficult to juggle her professional and personal life and had financial difficulties at the time.

Insp Bryer said: "There can be no excusing what happened here. Anyone could tell that these horses were suffering. Mrs James could literally see where these horses were living from her kitchen sink. This was not a case of out of sight, out of mind."