A farmer who allowed more than 100 horses to go without adequate food, leaving some dead and others emaciated, has told police he was reserving better feed for his more profitable sheep.
Glen Joseph Frecklington, 52, pleaded guilty to multiple animal welfare offences after about 140 sick or dead horses were discovered in a parched paddock near Bowan Park, west of Orange, NSW, on May 6.
An RSPCA inspector attended the property following a complaint from the public and found several decomposing carcasses, while numerous surviving horses were lying on the ground in a weakened condition.
Rural crime prevention officers inspected the property the next day and identified 37 dead animals. Some were believed to have been left to decompose for as long as 12 months.
Police said marks in the dirt around the bodies showed that the dead and critically ill horses had repeatedly tried, but failed, to get back on their feet.
Investigators also found a cow in an adjoining paddock with collapsed hindquarters. They believed the injury had occurred well before the animal was located.
‘These observations were indicative of prolonged suffering, pain and deterioration occurring over a period of time,’ a police document submitted to Orange Local Court and released on Monday stated.
RSPCA officers and police provided hay to the surviving horses, cut through fencing so they could reach available pasture, and directed Frecklington to provide food and arrange veterinary treatment within 24 hours.
About 37 dead animals were found during a property inspection by police in Orange, NSW
Glen Frecklington, 52, pleaded guilty at Orange Local Court to multiple animal welfare offences
Frecklington later contacted police and accepted responsibility after the order was issued, according to the court document.
‘I haven’t been feeding them,’ he told officers.
He said financial pressures had prevented him from seeking veterinary care for the horses.
‘[Frecklington] further admitted that during this period, he deliberately prevented the horses from accessing a neighbouring paddock that contained significantly better feed,’ the document stated.
‘He stated he was saving it for sheep, as they provided a greater financial return.
‘[Frecklington] stated his decisions were based on financial gain, explaining that the sheep gained income while the horses did not.’
When rural crime officers returned on May 8, they found that Frecklington had failed to comply with the welfare order. Several horses were described as being in serious distress, unresponsive or unable to stand, and nine had to be euthanised that day.
In the days that followed, several dozen more animals were put down after officers discovered 75 horses and foals confined in a small paddock.
During one inspection, officers found a mare that had recently died, with a foal still beside her and refusing to leave.
Frecklington was arrested on June 25 and charged with 270 offences.
‘The accused’s failure to provide proper and sufficient feed, veterinary treatment and appropriate husbandry caused unreasonable, unnecessary and prolonged suffering,’ the police document said.
In late October, Frecklington pleaded guilty to 67 charges of causing prolonged animal suffering and four charges relating to failures to provide food and veterinary care.
Prosecutors have indicated that the remaining allegations, including numerous aggravated animal cruelty charges, could be withdrawn when Frecklington returns to court for sentencing in January.