A man has been disqualified from keeping horses after one was found in distress and the remains of another were found in Co Roscommon.
Strokestown District Court heard the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) was alerted to a call made to their helpline by a concerned member of the public in December 2013 at Gorthoose, Scramogue.
James Barry, with an address in Co Offaly, pled guilty to cruelty to a horse.
Judge Geoffrey Browne imposed a disqualification of five years on keeping equines and fined him €1,000, plus expenses of €400.
Judge Browne said: "This man just doesn't seem to learn and if I see him again, he will go to jail".
Animal remains were also found on the land | Image: ISPCA
ISPCA Inspector Karen Lyons responded to the call and found a young black and white piebald cob lying down.
Upon further investigation, Inspector Lyons discovered he was not able to get up and had protruding hips, ribs and spine.
There was a deep engraved area around him and a large amount of faecal matter, indicating he had struggled for some time to get to his feet.
Inspector Lyons contacted a local vet and the gardaí, but it was determined that the horse had to be humanely euthanized.
The horse was scanned for a microchip, and resulting enquiries led investigators to Mr Barry.
