A woman from Aberdeen has been handed a five-year ban from owning and keeping horses after she ignored the condition of a six-year-old horse and allowed him to become morbidly obese.Donna Parley was found guilty of two animal welfare charges relating to Geordie and was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Thursday 24 September. Concerns were raised about Geordies condition to the Scottish SPCAs animal helpline in 2022 which prompted a visit from one of the charitys inspectors.On arrival, the inspector found Geordie was in a severe state and a local vet was asked to attend to administer urgent care. Geordies hooves were overgrown, cracked and hot to the touch and his legs were warm and swollen.Geordie was suffering from chronic laminitis. HeartbreakingHe was dull and showed no interest on my arrival. He was visibly overweight, very lame on all four feet and struggling to move freely and breath. It was heartbreaking to see him in such terrible pain, said the inspector.Upon examination, Geordies respiratory rate was 60 breaths per minute significantly above the normal rate of eight to 12. His heart rate was also sixty beats per minute, almost double the normal of 32 to 36.The vet confirmed Geordie had chronic laminitis and his feet had not been properly trimmed in at least a year. He was given a body condition score of five out of five which meant he was morbidly obese.Geordie had a body condition score of five out of five.Lack of concernWe welcome the Sheriffs decision. Parley showed complete disregard for Geordies welfare, proving she isnt capable of properly caring for an animal, said the inspector.She ought to have known that keeping a horse in such terrible conditions would have detrimentally affected their welfare. Once Geordie developed laminitis, it would have also been obvious he was in severe pain, and she shouldve sought immediate veterinary treatment to alleviate his suffering.We hope this sentencing sends a clear message that animal neglect will not be tolerated in Scotland.The SSPCA, is calling for the creation of a Scottish National Animal Offenders Register to allow enforcement agencies to monitor bans, track repeat offenders, and identify links between animal abuse and other crimes.Images Scottish SCPA.More from Your HorseHow to provide a stabled horse with the three Fs (and why its so important that you do)7 ways to enrich your horses environmentHow to tell if a horse is happyLacking hacking motivation? These three ideas will helpThe post Woman given five-year ban from keeping horses after leaving morbidly obese horse to suffer appeared first on Your Horse.