Pauline Brodie faced Shepparton Magistrates’ Court charged with one count of failing to provide adequately to 10 horses and one charge of failing to provide veterinary treatment for three horses.
Prosecutor for the RSPCA, Wendy Gutteridge, told the court RSPCA members attended Ms Brodie’s premises in June last year.
The court heard 10 horses were observed to be in poor bodily condition while three required veterinary assistance.
Ms Gutteridge told the court an RSPCA inspector attended the premises on June 20 where they noticed the horses, which Ms Brodie was training at the time for their owners, were underweight.
The court heard notices to comply were issued to Ms Brodie to feed the horses and provide the necessary treatment.
Ms Gutteridge said Harness Racing Victoria then attended the property where they relocated the horses which were in Ms Brodie’s care.
The court heard Ms Brodie made full and frank admissions when interviewed by police.
Ms Brodie’s defence counsel Markorious Habib said Ms Brodie had been working with horses all her life and during the time of offending was going through a difficult separation.
Mr Habib said Ms Brodie had attempted to feed the horses and provide them with the necessary medical care.
‘‘If she was in a better financial situation at the time she would have obtained veterinary attendance for those three horses and would have been able to better care for the 10 horses at a whole,’’ he said.
The court heard Ms Brodie had suffered a lot of embarrassment and humiliation from the racing community following the incident and had been shunned by her relatives for bringing a bad name to the family.
Magistrate Stella Stuthridge sentenced Ms Brodie to a one-year good behaviour bond without conviction and ordered her to donate $500 to the court fund.
Ms Stuthridge noted Ms Brodie had been co-operative with RSPCA investigators and had no other history with the court.
8°C