Appeal for info as bleeding horse abandoned after crash
The RSPCA is appealing for information after a horse was abandoned by the men with her after she crashed into a car.
The horse was part of a procession in Great Bridge Road in Bilston on Sunday (May 13) with lots of traditional horse-drawn carriages.
Unfortunately, one of the horses bolted and collided head-on with a car. The impact smashed the windscreen of an oncoming vehicle and left the mare lying in the road and bleeding profusely.
RSPCA Inspector Vicki Taylor, who was on the scene alongside police, said: “The horse was lying in the road and bleeding where the smashed windscreen had cut into her front and legs. This was a shocking sight and she was clearly suffering.
“Thankfully the family who were in the car were uninjured but their vehicle was badly damaged.
“When I arrived, the men with the horse had already left, dragging the trap away with them. Witnesses provided photos of the owners taking off the trap and leaving the horse in the road. It must have been a shock to be involved in an accident like this but these men essentially abandoned this horse to die.
“As they left, the two men were pictured trying to hide their faces. We are now appealing for anyone who may recognise the horse, or the men in these images, to contact us in strictest confidence on the inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”
The mare, who is about seven years old, is also underweight but is now recovering at a private boarding establishment in RSPCA care.
Insp Taylor added: “Thankfully there are no obvious broken bones and the equine vet is positive she will recover despite the open wounds which may take a while to start healing.”
The number of horses rescued by the RSPCA has reached a four-year high, as the horse crisis continues to have devastating consequences.
The charity’s new cruelty statistics reveal that nearly 1,000 horses were rescued by the charity from cruelty, suffering and neglect last year (2017), and a staggering 928 horses are currently in the charity’s care.
The national horse crisis, which charities first highlighted in 2012, has since seen RSPCA officers called out to neglected and abandoned horses every day in England and Wales, with many of the animals extremely sick or dying.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.