KNYSNA NEWS - On Thursday 14 June around midday, Happy Hooves received a call from a concerned Hoekwil resident, alerting them to the fact that horses had been dropped off on a property owned by a woman who has earned herself a reputation for neglecting animals.

The woman often leaves them without water and food for extended periods of time, according to reports received by this organisation that strives to improve the plight of neglected, abused and unwanted horses, ponies and donkeys.

According to Happy Hooves spokesperson Annerie Graham, they suggested that the concerned resident alert the local SPCA as Hoekwil is out of Happy Hooves' jurisdiction, though they committed to visiting the property the following Saturday.

Left without water
During this visit, Happy Hooves was able to validate the concern of the complainant and told the SPCA that the horses had in all likelihood not had water since the Wednesday 13 June and, together with a handful of concerned horse owners they managed to provide the horses with water which was promptly finished. "Our representatives returned later with enough water for several days. Notices to contact our inspector was left on the property giving the 'owner' 48 hours to respond, failing which further action would be taken," said Graham, adding that the organisation is required to do so by law.

When the suspected owner failed to make contact by the end of the following Monday, Happy Hooves aimed to submit an application to the George Magistrate's Court the next day, authorising them to act in the relevant capacity – this in itself is a process.

Some of the horses.

'Nothing simple in welfare'
In the interim, another of Happy Hooves' representatives followed up on the situation and learned that the horses had broken out onto a neighbouring property which might have given Happy Hooves a legal loophole to remove them had the property owner been willing to surrender them after reporting them as strays, "but in welfare, nothing is ever that simple", said Graham.

What happened instead, was that this landowner informed Happy Hooves that he had made contact with the horses’ rightful owner who had dropped them there the previous week, thinking he had found a safe haven for his drought-stricken animals from Oudtshoorn. "Little did he know that in doing so, he had sentenced them to endless suffering," said Graham.

Dodge, a stallion affected most by the traumatic experience, had to be lifted onto his feet with a TLB. He unfortunately did not survive.

Situation escalates
"This left us having to negotiate the terms of the release of the animals with someone who had no idea who he was dealing with when he accepted a kind offer from the 'keeper' in Hoekwil. Very distraught, he committed to arranging transport and collecting the horses by the weekend while we ensured they had sufficient water for daily consumption, but the situation escalated in the early hours of Thursday morning when we learned that one of the horses had gone down the night before. We believe that the SPCA was alerted by the 'keeper' who arrived at the property for the first time on Wednesday after having received the horses the week before. The SPCA tended the same night, to what seemed like a mild colic while the 'keeper' sat in her car looking on. No doubt they weren’t expecting a call from our inspector at 5:30 on Thursday morning.

Dodge, a stallion affected most by the traumatic experience, had to be lifted onto his feet with a TLB. He unfortunately did not survive.

Trauma over after 8 days
"In the hours to follow, phone lines were burning between Garden Route SPCA and Garden Route Horse Welfare (GRHW) and finally, with the help of the SPCA (who holds the necessary magisterial authorisation for the district of George) the rightful owner agreed to surrender all the horses and arrangements could be made for their immediate removal. Inspectors from the SPCA and representatives from Happy Hooves and GRHW worked tirelessly from 09:00 to well after 16:00 to load the six unhandled horses from a paddock with makeshift fencing and no holding facilities," Graham explained, adding that legal action was pending in the case.

Graham added that, despite the trauma of being moved twice in a matter of eight days, the horses – except for a stallion named Dodge – seemed to settle into their new surroundings with plentiful food and water quite readily.

Dodge was unfortunately put to sleep due to numerous complications. 

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