An owner of a miniature pony in Australia was fined $4,000 and banned from owning horses for three years for failing to provide proper foot care.
The pony—14-year-old Magic—was found to have severely overgrown and painful hooves, and had been left in a paddock in extreme pain and without access to water, Yahoo! News Australia reported.
Magic, which was hunched over and struggling to stand, was seized by inspectors of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Western Australia.
A veterinarian stated that Magic had been suffering from an inflammatory condition called laminitis for at least six months. The pony was given pain medication before being moved from the property.
The owner appeared in the Busselton Magistrates Court on Tuesday and learned of her fine and horse ban.
“Overgrown hooves and laminitis can be excruciating for a horse,” RSPCA Western Australia’s Kylie Green told Yahoo! News Australia. “When you limit a horse’s ability to stand, walk and move, you completely diminish their quality of life.”
Also on FTW Outdoors: Boy fishing from pool noodle lands big bass, but it ends in heartbreak (video)
Fortunately, the miniature pony is in better hands.
“We’re happy to say he has now been adopted by a committed owner and will live a life free from pain and discomfort,” Green told Yahoo! News Australia.
Photos courtesy of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Western Australia.