A woman from Peebles has been sentenced after starving two ponies and a horse to such a degree that vets had no choice but to put all three animals to sleep.
Mhairi Wilkinson was handed a five-year ban on owning, possessing or looking after horses or ponies on a commercial basis and ordered to pay a £750 fine after admitting she failed to feed her horse, Lady, and her ponies, Tilly and Cara, and did not seek veterinary treatment as their condition became worse.
Inspectors were called to the property in February 2025 after a notification to the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline.
They found the animals standing in a wet, muddy field with no grazing or supplementary feeding available. One pony was confined to a small, urine-soaked pen inside a shed, with no access to a clean, dry area to lie down or any form of feeding.
A vet examined each animal individually and found open skin sores, hair loss and poor coat condition on all three. Lady had a Body Condition Score of just 0.5 out of 5, while Tilly and Cara both scored 1 out of 5 – indicating extreme emaciation. All three animals were found to be suffering, and were euthanised on welfare grounds.
A Scottish SPCA Inspector said: “She showed a complete disregard for her animals’ welfare. She failed to meet the most basic welfare needs of her horse and ponies, causing them considerable and prolonged suffering. What is particularly concerning is that throughout this case, she appeared unable or unwilling to recognise the harm she had caused, showing no real understanding of the seriousness of her neglect and taking no responsibility for her actions. These horses endured significant pain and distress that no animal should ever have to experience.
“We are glad that we were able to step in and prevent any further suffering.”
The Scottish SPCA’s call for a National Animal Offenders Register is one of the four main asks of its recently published manifesto. Delivering on these will help ensure Scotland is at the forefront of animal welfare and is crucial to prevent future harm and tackle repeat offending. In turn, this is essential to help achieve our mission to make Scotland the best place for an animal to call home. Read our full Manifesto and sign our petition to show your support.
To report a concern of cruelty, visit the Scottish SPCA website
