Pony rescued from field in Wicklow with 'horrific neck injury' makes full recovery

A pony found with a “horrific neck injury” that was rescued from a field in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, made a full recovery, according to the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).

This month, a man appeared in Arklow District Court, accused of offences under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.

The case stemmed from an incident in March 2019, when ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling responded to a report about an injured pony in Ferrybank, Arklow.

Dowling gave evidence to the court of visiting and seeing a number of ponies. He said that it was “immediately obvious” that one of them had an extensive injury to its neck; but that it was impossible to give a precise cause of the injury.

Dowling seized the injured pony and enlisted the support of the nearby Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) to remove it for urgent veterinary treatment.

Giving evidence in his defence, the accused, Pronsias O’Broin, said that “the land comprised of 40ac, eight to 10 of which was dry land, and the remainder marshy ground”, which he asserted could not be fenced.

He claimed to own only three ponies on the land, which were not found to be a concern, and denied owning the injured pony saying that it must have wandered onto his land.

He told the court that “he was made aware that there was an injured animal on his land some days prior to its seizure but claimed to have been unable to locate it”.

None of the equines microchipped

Under cross-examination by Rory Benville, state solicitor, O’Broin admitted that none of his equines were microchipped.

He claimed to have seen the pony in question before it was injured and admitted that it may have been on his land for “a good few weeks”. Benville put it to the accused that his account was “simply not credible”.

In ruling, Judge David Kennedy said that he had an issue with O’Broin’s credibility and that his account changed over the course of his evidence.

Judge Kennedy convicted O’Broin of one offence under Section 11 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, with a Section 12 offence taken into consideration. He imposed a three-month custodial sentence, suspended for one year, a €100 fine, and ordered that O’Broin pay €1,500 in costs. In addition, he made an order forfeiting the pony to the care of the ISPCA.

The pony, later named Kay, began responding to treatment for her injury, which according to the ISPCA, was “extremely badly infected”. Not long after her rescue, she gave birth to a healthy foal, named Poppy by her carers.

Speaking on the matter, ISPCA chief inspector Dowling said: “Owners have a legal duty to provide for the animals in their care and turning a blind eye will simply not be tolerated.

“Thanks to the assistance of the IHWT, we were able to remove this pony immediately before her injury deteriorated any further and thankfully she made a full recovery.”