Horse dies and 13 others rescued in neglected state

A horse had to be put down and 13 others are being cared for by animal charities after they were found emaciated and neglected in a field near Falkirk.

One of the horses is understood to have been unable to stand properly in the field at Dennyloanhead and kept collapsing.

Others were skinny and had a number of feet and skin issues including lice and mange.

Animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA said it was investigating the matter.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to call for the owner to be prosecuted and asking for transparency and accountability from the charities involved.

One horse owner, who does not wish to be named, went to see the neglected horses after reading a Facebook post about them.

"I just burst into tears," she told BBC Scotland News. "I've seen some things in my time relating to horses but this is by far the worst I've ever seen.

"Three of the horses were emaciated. They were covered with lice and mange and I have never seen horses with such neglected feet.

"All of them had skin and feet issues."

She said a lot of the horses were skinny and moved in a crablike manner as their back ends were not stable.

"One horse had to be put to sleep as she kept collapsing and couldn't stand up," she said.

The woman, who has five horses of her own, claims people had informed the Scottish SPCA about the horses in January but nothing was done.

"They should have fresh water, shelter and older horses should have access to hay at all times, as well as grass," she said.

Another woman, who found the horses and does not wish to be named, said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life and I've worked with horses since I was 12."

She had gone to the field to look for a specific horse that she used to look after.

"He was one of the lucky ones," she said.

"He was half the horse, or three quarters of what he used to be but he still had life about him.

"I'm still just really upset. I've found horses in a bad way but this was just extreme."

Police Scotland officers assisted the Scottish SPCA at the property on Tuesday but said the matter was being dealt with by the animal charity.

The Scottish SPCA confirmed there was "ongoing investigation" and said it was unable to comment at this time.

The horses are understood to have been taken into the care of World Horse Welfare. The charity declined to comment.