Just before Christmas yet another skeletal horse arrived from a DIY livery yard at Glenda Spooner Farm, Nr. Hoarwithy, Herefordshire.

Says Dee White Manager of the Centre, run by the International League for Protection of Horses (ILPH), “When Solo came to us in January last year from a DIY yard I said that he was the worst neglect case I had every seen, but my latest case comes a close second.”

Buzz the Agent, a 5 year old bay ex-racehorse gelding, racing until the end of August last year, previously kept at a DIY livery yard in the north of England, could barely stand suffering from severe malnutrition and a chronic knee injury. Says Dee, “He has suffered dreadfully in a yard with other horse owners around. We appeal to everybody involved in DIY yards not to turn a blind eye but to please contact the ILPH if they are at all concerned about an animal’s welfare.”

Says David Mountford, Head of Equine Operations at the ILPH, “Some form of Licencing of DIY yards by local authorities would ensure that they are properly run and inspected, until this happens these sad cases will, unfortunately, continue to occur.”

Buzz the Agent and Solo can be visited at Glenda Spooner Farm between 11 am and 4 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays and at other times by appointment. Telephone 01432 840253. To report neglect cases phone Zoe Harber on 01953 497238.

www.ilph.org