A 23-year-old Manjimup woman has been fined $6,000, ordered to pay more than $19,300 in care costs and legal fees, and been banned from being in charge of an animal for five years following her conviction on two charges of animal cruelty.
Bunbury Magistrates Court heard the charges were laid after RSPCA WA inspectors seized the woman's two emaciated horses from a property in the South West in June 2025.
Seven-year-old thoroughbred Max and six-year-old thoroughbred Chloe had come to the attention of inspectors via a cruelty report. When they went to the property, they saw both horses were clearly underweight. There were one and a half bags of horse feed at the property but no hay, natural forage or food in the horses' paddock.
The offender said she had only had Max for two weeks and that he was in better condition than he had been when she got him – a claim later refuted by photographic evidence.
The offender initially stated there was nothing wrong with Chloe's weight but later conceded she was "a little bit" underweight. The offender admitted she hadn't bought any hay because of financial reasons but said she had been hard feeding the horses and they had only been without hay for four days.
The inspectors sent photos of the horses to an equine vet who said both horses appeared extremely emaciated and would require further investigation and treatment.
The inspectors later noted that Max had evidence of diarrhoea down his back legs and in his tail, and multiple wounds and scabs across his body. Chloe and Max both presented as lethargic with sunken eyes and a quiet, slow demeanour. The inspectors also saw multiple pine poles and trees throughout the paddock had been extensively chewed down by the hungry horses.
The inspectors seized the horses and took them to a local vet clinic for immediate assessment and treatment. Both Chloe and Max were described by the vet as very hungry and emaciated. Both also had overgrown hooves and a sand burden. Both horses have recovered. Max has been adopted while Chloe remains in foster care.
In sentencing, Magistrate Stephen Butcher said, "[It would have been] clear to anyone that these horses were in very poor condition – their ribs are visible." With regard to the offender he said, "She really minimised her wrongdoing," and she "was totally inept and unable to care for them in any way, shape or form."
RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said this was a shocking case of neglect.
"This offender freely admitted she was struggling financially to be able to feed her horses properly yet chose to do nothing about it," she said.
"How she could look at Max and Chloe in that condition, knowing how hungry and uncomfortable they must be, yet not ask for help, defies belief."
The offender was convicted under sections 19(1) and 19(3)(d) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. The maximum penalty for a conviction of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or via rspcawa.org.au.
