A woman has been banned from keeping equines for three years after leaving her horse with an untreated necrotic leg injury for multiple weeks.Kirsty Olive, 38, of Harlech, Eston, was handed the ban after failing to seek veterinary treatment for the chestnut gelding called Red who was kept at a yard in North Yorkshire.A vet who examined Red said the leg injury had been left untreated for multiple weeks.At a hearing at Teesside Magistrates Court on 22 October, Oliver was also given a 12-month community order following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA. She had pleaded guilty to one animal welfare offence at an earlier hearing.The court was told an RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer had attended the yard in Saltburn on 6 September 2025 after the charity had received reports that a horse with a badly injured leg was stabled there. There was no one present and the officer was so concerned about the horses welfare that he called a vet out.The court was told a makeshift dressing had been applied over Reds wound which was so tight it had restricted normal blood flow, causing secondary swelling above and below the area. The wound was not completely covered and flies were present at the top.The wound was very sore, hot to touch and oozing blood, with evidence of infection and generalised swelling from the horses hock down to the hoof. Nappies had been placed underneath the dressing to cover the wound.I saw a chestnut horse in a stable on his own, the RSPCA officer said in his written evidence to the court. He had a purple bandage around the cannon bone area of his hind left leg and I could see an injury exposed at the top. Upon examining the horse and removing the dressing, I could see baby nappies had been used to cover the wound. It smelt awful and showed signs of infection.The vet who attended confirmed the horse was suffering and he was taken into police possession, removed from the yard and taken to a private boarding establishment for ongoing care.Enquiries by the RSPCA revealed that Oliver was Reds owner and she was subsequently visited at her address in Harlech Close by an RSPCA inspector.Oliver confirmed to the officer she owned and was responsible for Red and agreed to transfer ownership of him to the RSPCA. It was explained to her that she would need to be interviewed to establish the facts surrounding what had happened to Red.The vet who examined the gelding said his needs had not been met. She said the evidence of necrotic flesh on the wound, and the foul smell, indicated it had not occurred recently and was likely to be at least multiple weeks old.The materials covering the wound that were present on arrival were not an appropriate way to manage this wound and had been applied incorrectly causing further swelling and ultimately preventing healing, the vet said in her statement to the court.Had intervention not occurred it is likely that infection would have progressed and the horse would continue to suffer. A responsible owner should have sought veterinary assistance for this wound as it required antibiotics, analgesia and appropriate wound management and care.Another witness in the case also confirmed she had seen the wound on Reds leg and had been monitoring it as it got worse.Oliver, who failed to engage with the RSPCA despite repeated attempts to interview her over six weeks, was also ordered to pay costs of 500 and a 114 victim surcharge.Red was left permanently lame as a result of the injury. Despite many weeks of ongoing care his pain could not be effectively managed and a vet made the decision to put him to sleep to prevent further suffering. Related contentWound care: what to do if your horse is injured and when to call the vetUseful health products for your horses first aid kitEssential guide to horse health insuranceSix tips to help you take care of a horse in winterThe post Owner banned after leaving gelding with untreated wound for weeks (warning: graphic image) appeared first on Your Horse.