/ 19 December 2012

SPCA to investigate military horses in ‘bad condition’

SPCA spokesperson Andries Venter has stated that many of the  horses that had been inspected were in a 'shocking state'.
SPCA spokesperson Andries Venter has stated that many of the horses that had been inspected were in a 'shocking state'.

The order was obtained to provide medical care, according to Beeld on Wednesday.

This follows two previous unsuccessful attempts by the SPCA to gain access to the army base.

SPCA spokesperson Andries Venter told the newspaper that he and other inspectors were finally able to take a look at the horses last Friday, and found many of them to be in a shocking state.

"One of the horses was lame, and another had swollen protuberances on its face. Some of the mares, with foals, were in a very bad condition," he added.

Venter said the SPCA allowed a military vet, from the SA Military Health Service's veterinary division, to treat the animals at the base.

“We have also arranged for the horses to be moved to the military vets' division, where they were previously being kept,” he said.

The SPCA acted after an earlier Beeld report detailing various abuses of the horses, including the fact that a mare had been kicked to death while she was giving birth.

Venter said the biggest reason for the animals' neglect is that the soldiers tasked with their care were not trained in animal husbandry. – Sapa