TWO women and a man admit horse neglect after one of the animals was left so thin its bones were showing, described by a vet as 'the thinnest he had ever seen'.

Jessica Paige Pugh, 21, of Arlington Place, Broom Hall, Worcester was one of three defendants to appear before magistrates in Hereford on Tuesday, January 30. 

Malvern Gazette: SAD: Autumn the horse after being neglected by Jessica Paige Pugh of Worcester SAD: Autumn the horse after being neglected by Jessica Paige Pugh of Worcester (Image: RSPCA)

The others were 43-year-old Kerry Ruth Pugh of Bosbury, Ledbury, and Oliver Daelan Fairy, 21, Tan House Lane, Malvern. The horse Pugh was responsible for ultimately had to be put down.

Kerry Pugh and Jessica Pugh pleaded guilty to one offence relating to chestnut mare Autumn in that they failed to meet her needs.

Oliver Fairy pleaded guilty to one Animal Welfare Act offence which concerned a grey mare named Totti in that he failed to meet her needs.

All three have been disqualified from keeping equines for seven years.

Fairy was handed a £450 fine, victim surcharge of £180, and ordered to pay £200 costs.

Kerry Pugh and Jessica Pugh were handed a £196 fine, a victim surcharge to pay of £78 and they were ordered to pay £200 costs. 

Malvern Gazette: AWFUL: Autumn was very thin AWFUL: Autumn was very thin (Image: RSPCA)

Jessica and Kerry Pugh entrusted someone else to look after Autumn and feed her daily but admitted they should have taken responsibility themselves and checked. They called the vet when the first signs of choking showed.

In a written statement, provided to the court, RSPCA inspector Suzane Smith attended a stables in Ledbury on March 22 last year after the RSPCA received a call concerning underweight horses.

Inspector Smith said: “She (Autumn) was wearing a rug, but despite the rug I could see she was extremely angular with the rug hanging on her like she was a coat hanger, I was informed the horse was called Autumn. There was no food or water in the stable, there was no bedding, there was some faeces.”

The owner of the stables gave her the owner details as Jess Pugh and Oliver Fairy. Fairy told inspector Smith that the horse was Jess Pugh’s horse and he had spoken to a vet the night before as the horse had had ‘choke’, but he didn’t know when the horse had seen a vet prior to that.

She said: “I went into the stable and removed the rug, as I suspected, the horse was extremely underweight with all bones exposed, a clear thigh gap between her buttock cheeks, the rib cage was fully visible with a shelf along the top where it met with the spinal processors.

"Whilst waiting for the vet, as Autumn had no food or water I asked if some could be provided and a slice of hay in a small haynet was hung in the stable and the small empty bucket which was in the stable was filled."

Malvern Gazette: Totti's ribs are clearly visibleTotti's ribs are clearly visible (Image: RSPCA)

She was also informed that there had been another horse, a grey mare, which had left the yard on March 17, 2023 and had been returned to the owner in North Wales.

She was told that Oliver Fairy had had this horse on a lease or loan arrangement and the horse was known as Totti. 

A vet who attended assessed the horse (Autumn) and said that he had spoken with the owner the previous evening as the horse had had ‘choke’, but a visit was not agreed by the owner. 

Inspector Smith added: “He then clearly said that the horse was about the thinnest horse he’d seen and confirmed suffering.”

In the vet’s statement, he said the mare’s body condition was 0.5 out of five and that there was strong evidence “to support parasitism for the poor body condition of the horse.”

Jessica Pugh and her mother Kerry Pugh also attended the stables on March 22, and a transfer of ownership form for Autumn was signed by Kerry Pugh, who said she was the owner and the passport was in her name.

The owner was called and it was requested that a vet attended to assess Totti, who later confirmed that the horse had been suffering. The vet found an “above normal faecal worm egg count”.

Autumn was foot sore upon arrival in RSPCA care, she received remedial farriery alongside her re-feeding programme.

She recovered her weight after receiving an appropriate worming and refeeding programme, however it became clear that despite trying to resolve her lameness issues which was found to stem from her shoulder, her welfare was affected and on veterinary grounds the decision had to be made to put her to sleep.