Vets tell court of farmer’s shocking neglect of horses

A farmer has been banned from keeping horses for 20 years after 91 ponies were found on his land, many of them in dark and hazardous conditions.

Vets told Llandudno magistrates dozens of horses had suffered unnecessarily – including one who had not received appropriate veterinary care for a broken leg and another four who had not been given vet attention for lameness.

Evan Lloyd Evans, 76, of Chwilog, Pwllheli, also failed to ensure six of his ponies had appropriate treatment for parasites.

He pleaded guilty to a total of 10 Animal Welfare Act offences and was given a 20-week suspended jail term.

The prosecution followed an operation Evans’ farm in September 2020, after reports horses and other animals were being kept in poor conditions, and  in breach of a pre-existing 10-year ban handed out in 2013.

Video footage shown to the court showed horses stood in filthy, dark and hazardous conditions, with faeces everywhere – and even a bucket of dead rats.

One pony had a severe facial deformity which had gone unchecked and a total of 28 had suffered as a consequence of Evans’ failure to secure appropriate dental care, while a further eight were also deemed to have suffered through not receiving appropriate hoof care.

In addition to the suspended jail term, Evans was banned from keeping horses and poultry for 20 years, fined £1,000 fine and a £128 victim surcharge.

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