A LEADING animal welfare group says the jailing of a Brierley Hill family highlights the shocking plight of tethered horses.

Last week a judge sent Amanda, Walter and Kevin Hickman, all of Wallows Road, to prison for severley neglecting four animals which were kept at Fens Pool Nature Reserve.

However the RSPCA says the problem is far greater than one family, a survey last November found 57 horses at the site however just a month later ten of those were known to have died.

Speaking at the end of the Hickman case, RSPCA equine instpector Jackie Hickman said: "Horses being tethered at the location of Fens Pool has been a huge problem for this area over the years. It has been a serious issue and one of high public interest.

"We are satisfied that some of those who have been responsible for causing a problem in the area have now admitted their guilt.

"Whilst tethering in itself is not an illegal practice, the many welfare problems that accompany it are worrying and we want to reassure people that the RSPCA is doing all we can to address the problems at this location and will continue to take action where we can."

The charity says identifying who owns horses can sometimes be difficult while their tethered animals can be victims of neglect and terrifying attacks.

Inspectors have seen cases where horses have been attacked by dogs or yobs riding motorbikes and the Dudley Council-funded Equine Emergency Service recenty rescued a colt from Sedgley which had been doused with fuel and was about to be set alight.

Although many horses face a grim fate, intervention by welfare groups can lead to a happy outcome.

The four horses in the Hickman case all survived and one, a skewbald cob called Skippy, is now looking for a new home.

Inspector Hickman said: “Skippy has had a long road to recovery, and before she came in to RSPCA care, she had lived a miserable life on a chain tether.

“She had been on our radar previously after losing her foal when she was only a young pony herself. So to lose her offspring and then live out the winter without adequate food water and shelter – the basic requirements for a horse – no wonder she had lost her sparkle.

“But thanks to months of loving care she is a completely different pony.

“It has been a physical and a mental transformation for Skippy – she has almost had to learn what running freely is.

“Skippy is ready to be rehomed, she is going to make some lucky family a lovely all-round performance horse."

For more information visit www.rspca.org.uk, call 0300 1238877 or email horsesandponies@rspca.org.uk.