A farrier who was filmed beating a horse nine times with a hammer has been sentenced in court. Scott Manson brutally attacked the animal when he was meant to be reshoeing its hooves.
A solicitor representing the RSPCA said Manson's actions were "barbaric and cruel". He hit the horse so hard he broke the head off a hammer, they added.
Manson, 34, attacked the horse for six-and-a-half minutes when the horse was tethered to a rope, unable to escape. He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, a ten-year animal ban and unpaid work during a hearing at Cheltenham Magistrates Court.
The court heard Manson was unaware his actions had been caught on camera during the attack on April 1, 2022. Manson initially claimed the horse had broken his hammer in a picture sent to the owner.
But after wondering why their usually docile horse would have reacted in such a way, the owner decided to review CCTV footage from the yard. Solicitor Lindi Meyer, who represented the RSPCA in court, said: “He repeatedly beat the horse around the forelimbs of the legs where there is very little in the way of soft tissue covering and as such the blows were almost directly to the bone.
"This would have been incredibly painful for the horse and the farrier is very fortunate not to have caused fractures of any of the limbs. The horse was hit nine times viciously in a six-and-a-half minute video attack which left it with soft tissue swellings and cuts to the limbs.
"The attack was unprovoked, unacceptable and completely unnecessary and has caused this horse to suffer from both physical and psychological harm. The abuse falls far below what is expected of a human dealing with horses let alone a professional farrier who has been entrusted by the owners to take care of the horse.
“At no point was the farrier trying to teach the horse to stand still, pick its feet up or any other action. The actions were simply to beat the horse out of anger, a short temper, or frustration. Whatever the reason, the actions were so barbaric and cruel that the farrier broke the head off a hammer onto the sensitive areas of the front limbs of the horse."
CCTV footage showed Mason adopting an aggressive stance, and striking out with his hammer in his hand at the horse’s front legs. Upon checking their horse, the owner could see his right front leg was bigger than usual and there were various marks on both front legs and around the shin area.
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The fur had also been taken off and the shin exposed. The court also heard the horse was reluctant for his owners to touch or brush his legs and when the new farrier came out he was given sedatives from the vet to keep him calm on two occasions.
He was also reluctant to go into his stable and was wary of people for a time, but is now back to normal. Manson, of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty at an earlier hearing.
He was sentenced on Monday, March 20 following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA. In mitigation, it was said Manson is remorseful, and that he was stressed and was visiting his dying mother in Scotland twice a week at the time.
Manson was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements (RAR) days. He must also pay £400 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.
