Woman jailed for 26 weeks after horses kept in stables 'akin to death camp'

A woman has been jailed for 26 weeks after she was found guilty of animal cruelty and neglect of horses in her care, including six ex-racehorses.

Annette Nally received the maximum sentence for the offences and was banned from ‘keeping animals of any kind’ by Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Friday.

Four of the ex racehorses have subsequently been successfully rehomed by charity Retraining of Racehorses (ROR), with the other two remaining in the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RPSCA).

RSPCA representatives, along with police and locals, discovered emaciated horses at Nally’s yard in Stoke Prior, Worcestershire, on July 14 last year. One horse was found dead while many more were subsequently put down due to their poor health.

Judge Ian Strongman told Nally, aged 49: "What you provided in the weeks prior to the intervention of the RSPCA was something more akin to a death camp.

"The number of horses affected and the desperate state in which they were found must make this one of the most serious cases of its type."

Horses in the yard were to found to be suffering from malnutritionCredit: Rspca

Nally admitted to neglecting the horses and told the court she had lost control of her yard on Astwood Lane, but said she had always provided the horses with enough food and water.

She said her ability to look after the animals became limited after she allegedly hurt her ribs three weeks prior to the RSPCA and police arriving at her rented yard.

A spokesperson for RoR said: “As someone who had taken on important responsibilities, Annette Nally let down many. First, foremost and most regrettably, she let down the horses she had taken into her care. She also let down organisations such as the RSPCA and RoR who would have stepped in to help had she asked.

“In the court case 21 horses were cited by the prosecution, this number included four former racehorses that RoR has subsequently rehomed and a further two that remain in the care of the RSPCA.

“Throughout the investigation, RoR kept the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) updated. In light of the court’s findings, the BHA have confirmed they would look to oppose any future application on the part of Annette Nally to be involved in the sport in a formal capacity.”

Several stables were found to be covered in urine and faecesCredit: Rspca

Nally has never been registered in British racing and the BHA stressed there is no place in the sport for anyone who fails to provide the required care and welfare.

A BHA spokesperson said: “There is no place in British racing for anyone who does not meet the high standards of care and welfare we expect from everyone with a connection to the sport – standards which surpass those of the law and national animal welfare legislation.

“Annette Nally has never been registered or licensed in British racing, however the BHA would be extremely likely to oppose an application from anyone with an animal welfare conviction.”

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