Most people who have had dealings with the ‘caring charity’ the RSPCA have a story to tell and some, like myself, have several but it is important to avoid the emotional part of the stories, however distressing and stick to the facts, because nobody can contest them. Although the RSPCA do a good job with their lies and fabrication, to delude the public and still have a following in this country, I feel the tide is turning.
Firstly let me give you my working background with horses. For 36 years or so I have trained, owned and bred racehorses, both Thoroughbreds and Arabians and I would like to think that I have a very good knowledge of racing, which is supported by my record of successes. Alongside my training career I also owned a racehorse transport company for 15 years.
Before entering into the three stories, something I wish to share with you, I want you to know I was ‘stitched up’ by the RSPCA and Police and show you, from their internal e-mails how they checked with their donor management company to see if I was a donor of the RSPCA before proceeding to take me to court. Make your own conclusion as to why that should be important if they thought I was guilty of cruelty.
RSPCA email enquiring about my donor status.
On the 5th July 2017 thirteen horses were seized from my yard by six police officers and three RSPCA personnel, with the addition of a pre arranged RSPCA vet and two C&C hgv transporters.
14th Sept 2017 I was allowed to check and visit one of my horses, Alcea Rosea. I was not allowed to see the mare at the secret RSPCA boarding facility so they transported her to Bransby Horses for my visit.
I went with one of my ex grooms for two reasons,
1 as a witness and
2 for her to see the horse she had been riding in her 2016 racing campaign.
Whilst viewing the mare the RSPCA Inspector D Bradshaw told us that one of my other horses, that had been seized, a thoroughbred called Hamish a strapping chestnut in colour thorougbred gelding, identified by RSPCA also as DB16, who I had foaled a few years before would have to be euthanised, due to a cancer in his mouth. Both myself and my groom were shocked, I challenged this decision and demanded to speak to the vet at the Rainbow Equine hospital where the horse had been previously taken to (never believe what the RSPCA say).
Inspector D Bradshaw got the senior vet, Mr Moses Brennan, of Rainbow Equine Hospital to speak with me on his mobile phone. I asked the vet about the condition and he informed me that whilst they were doing a tooth extraction they found what looked like a squamous cell carcinoma (cancer) on the palate and a tissue sample had been sent to Rossdales laboratories, at Newmarket.
Rossdales confirmed that it was indeed cancer for which the prognosis for recovery was hopeless and the horse should be euthanised. I asked the vet if this condition was rare, his reply was that it wasn’t rare but not very common. I thanked him for his honesty and Inspector D Bradshaw of the RSPCA completed the euthanasia form and I signed it. This was very very upsetting.
Euthanasia Form.
In December 2017 I received some paperwork from my defence team which included 4 veterinary reports from Rainbow Equine Hospital and I was slightly confused, as the report on Hamish said he had made a full recovery with no further treatment required.
However, another report on a horse called Sienna Sunrise (RSPCA number DB14), a bay Arabian mare said she had a squamous cell carcinoma (cancer). I put this confusion down to an administrative error.
Veterinary Report for Hamish
I received more paperwork from my solicitor in Jan 2018 which included, within the boarding records, the discharge form for Hamish from Rainbow Equine Hospital from September 2017, plus a copy of an e-mail from RSPCA Inspector D Bradshaw to the boarding facility to euthanise Hamish. The discharge instructions reconciled with the report I had received in December 2017 concerning Hamish. I was beginning to get suspicious, but soon put it aside as an administrative error!
Hamish Discharge paper.
E-mail from RSPCA Inspector D Bradshaw to Zoe Joynson
29th March 2018 nine months after seizure, I with my ex groom went to the Rainbow Equine Hospital at Malton to view my horses. They were transported there from their secret location, as Bransby Horse was unavailable on this occasion. We were met by Inspector Ian Smith of the RSPCA and Rainbow Equine Hospital vet, Amanda Platt. The senior vet Mr Moses Brennan joined us ten minutes later.
Moses Brennan pointed to Sienna Sunrise (DB14) a bay coloured Arab mare and said he was amazed to see her still alive and referred to our telephone conversation in September the previous year.
At this point I was confused, but then remembered the paperwork I had received in December 2017 and January 2018 from my defence team and the report on Sienna Sunrise (DB14) which I had brushed aside as an administrative error. At that point I thought that the report must have been correct and two horses of mine had actually got the same devastating condition, I reminded Moses Brennan that he had told me that this cancer wasn’t very common and I said “I must be the unluckiest guy in the world, as that’s two horses out of thirteen with the condition, Hamish and Sienna”!.
Moses Brennan replied “no only Sienna Sunrise has the condition”.
Total confusion then erupted as I said that means the wrong horse has been put down, my heart sank, as I realised I had been misled into sign Hamish’s death warrant.
The vets looked shocked and Mr Brennan said Rainbow Equine Hospital hadn’t put Hamish to sleep, the RSPCA Inspector Ian Smith quickly went out of the barn to make a phone call and came back looking sullen with no answers.
THE RSPCA THROUGH INCOMPETENCE EUTHANISED THE WRONG HORSE, A HEALTHY HORSE.
My investigations have revealed that Rainbow Equine Hospital are clear of any blame, that did not prevent RSPCA Inspector D Bradshaw trying to lay all responsibility with them in court, (the District Judge said in court that he thought there would be trouble over this terrible mistake).
The blame for this lays firmly with the RSPCA and their Inspector D Bradshaw and the then yard manager at the boarding facility used by the RSPCA, Zoe J, who would have been aware of Hamish’s discharge notes from Rainbow Equine Hospital, stating full recovery.
What checks were done to check all paperwork and animal matched?. It is very clear now that RSPCA Inspector Bradshaw had entered incorrect and none matching details on the euthanasia consent form, further, no checks could have been made at the boarding facility to check everything matched up, horse, vet report and instructions from RSPCA. Despite it stating on the RSPCA euthanasia consent form that the horse was to be euthanised in a humane manner at Rainbow Equine, by injection only, paperwork revealed that Haven Veterinary practice carried out the euthanasia, another one who obviously did no checks!
Sienna Sunrise my Arabian mare unbelievably was still alive in 2019 ????
All of these things are put down to errors, mistakes or just unfortunate incidents by the RSPCA and believe it or not there are many.
Moving on to the second tale:
Alcea Rosea, a mare who was still well into her racing career and had a pretty tough season in 2016 winning (when she should’nt have), coming 2nd in an International race at Newbury and competing in 3 Grp 1 races at Sandown, Newbury and Goodwood.
She was coming back into training in 2017 when the RSPCA seized her. She is, or was, worth a great deal of money and I had many large offers from the Middle East.
She was in very good condition at seizure but had sliced herself on her hind quarter when rushing out of her stable a few days before. The cut was clean and just a slice. She was not lame, I had considered getting the vet for stitching but decided against it due to the proximity of the cut and the movement of that area, experience told me she would tear stitches if they were done. I put her on the anti-inflammatory Bute and treated the cut with ‘the miracle cream’ Dermisol.
For people unaware of this cream please google it but it works from the inside out. It opens up the wound and pushes the dead tissue out. I could be informative but the internet will give you all the info on it. My vets who are racecourse vets got me to use it since 30 years ago and it’s always done the job.
The RSPCA vet certified that the cut was enough to seize under section 18(5) 0f the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in other words theft. She even let me treat the cut with the Dermisol cream and debride which was done every day. When they seized her the cut was nine days old and healing just as I expected but they wanted her badly.
Nearly five weeks later I met RSPCA Inspector Daniel Bradshaw who asked me to sign horses over to the RSPCA, I refused, but I took the opportunity to ask what treatment was the vet administering to the cut on Alcea Rosea’s hindquarter. He rang the vet in my presence and said the wound had been debrided and left to heal (so much less treatment than I was administering).
Conversation on what treatment Alcea Rosea was having. RSPCA SARS
At nine weeks the cut had healed completely as per the photo. This seizure in my opinion was a complete scam.
Photo of healed cut at nine weeks.
Alcea Rosea going to post at Newbury in 2016.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
This is to show how the RSPCA indirectly damaged another of my horses in their care. The mare born in the UAE, flew to Sheikh Mohammed’s stud in Kildare, Eire as a yearling to grow. I went to Ireland to view ten yearlings on the invitation of the Sheikh’s manager and picked out the filly but didn’t purchase till six months later when she was brought to the UK. You could say she had travelled a lot of air miles and I boxed her regularly at home.
On the 31st July 2018 my horses were once again transported to Bransby Horses from the ‘secret boarding facility’ (silly really because by this time I knew where they were being kept).
Five minutes into the return journey back to the private boarding facility in East Yorkshire, there was a terrific clatter in the back of the horsebox, instead of stopping and checking, I was told the CCTV monitor showed everything was fine so no checks were made (as confirmed by C&C’s transport manager).
On arrival at the private boarding facility in East Yorkshire and upon dropping the ramp of the horsebox to unload, it was discovered my mare had deep gashes to her skull, one actually to the bone and a head full of blood.
Another horse that should never have been taken from me.They did get the vet out who stitched her head, but that did not stop them trying to claim that the horse must have done this previously, always trying to lay the blame at someone elses door. Not that it could ever excuse the transporter from not doing proper checks when they heard something amiss.
This mare was a very good and seasoned traveller, unblemished until this incident in the RSPCA’s ‘care’. Another ‘UNFORTUNATE’ incident.
Photo of injury to horse
The aforementioned is just a taster of the many despicable events that have taken place around my case and maybe I’ll give you some more on another day. My ace card is yet to be played as it is very serious but this is following a legal path.