A COUPLE who caused horses “serious harm” by leaving them starving, emaciated and covered in thick mud have been jailed and banned from keeping animals.

Ian Tait, 45, and Courtney Layton, 19, both admitted their care for horses Dinky, Harley, Little Man and Blaze, had been “poor” and “inappropriate”, with inspectors saying one of the animals "would have certainly died" without their intervention. 

One horse was found trapped inside a cramped horse-box which was covered in faeces, whilst another was lying in the thick mud.

Another of the horses was in such poor condition that an RSPCA inspector could feel his spine, ribs, pelvic bones and shoulder blades.

The animal charity had been made aware of the conditions the horses were in after a member of the public, who had stopped to feed one of them and saw it collapse, contacted them.

Teesside Magistrates' Court heard the allotment in Port Clarence where Tait and Layton were keeping the horses was full of hazards, including rubble, broken glass and barbed wire on the floor.

Little Man and Blaze, who were owned by Layton, and Dinky and Harley, who were owned by Tait, are all now fighting fit and healthy after being taken in by the RSPCA.

John Ellwood, prosecuting, said the treatment amounted to “prolonged neglect”.

“Blaze was found lying in thick and wet mud which covered the floor of the allotment – he was making no effort to lift his head up.

“The horsebox was in affect a permanent shed – it was too small to walk around and was covered in faeces.

“Harley had lice and was very muddy. Whilst the inspector was on site, Harley got his feet caught in a pallet and had to be released.

“The vet’s opinion is that Blaze and Little Man had been starved to the point of emaciation and were clearly suffering.”

Tait, who had been visited by the RSPCA previously for keeping horses in poor conditions, became abusive at RSPCA inspectors when interviewed and claimed to have been “set up.”

Danielle Hewitt, mitigating, said Tait had only kept his horses at the allotment for one night, and Layton had kept hers for two weeks.

Speaking about Tait’s horses, she said: “Because of the time of year it was wet and muddy.

“If they had been there for any longer, surely they would have been much dirtier than they were.

“They were both left with food and water.

“They haven’t been deemed to suffer, but it is still horrendous and upsetting.

"He accepts the hazards were inappropriate - they could have caused real serious harm."

Speaking about Layton, Ms Hewitt she had been dealing with a “number of personal problems” and had “buried her head in the sand about the conditions of the horses”.

"She deserves credit for her early guilty plea, her lack of previous convictions and she fully complied with the RSPCA."

Layton was jailed for 18 weeks for admitting causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She was also jailed for 12 weeks, to run concurrently, for failing to provide a suitable environment for her horses.

Tait was jailed for 12 weeks for failing to provide a suitable environment for his horses.

Both were ordered to pay £175 costs on release and banned from keeping any animals for 10 years.

RSPCA inspector Clare Wilson, who investigated the neglect, said: "This was a very serious case.

"One of the horses called Blaze would certainly have died without our intervention.

"I am very pleased that this case was taken so seriously and hopefully it acts as a stark reminder to anyone who neglects animals that these are the consequences.

"Now that the horses have all been signed over, they can now be rehomed which is the best possible outcome."