www.maggieslaw.co.uk-Campaign for Equine Justice

Maggie's Law is a campaigning for a change in the laws dealing with attacks on horses and ponies. After an attack in 2007, Davina Bowyer lost her beloved 19 yr old black and white mare in horrific circumstances.

The mare in question, Maggie, had been owned by Davina since the horse was 18 months old. On Friday 13th April 2007, Maggie, a 19-year-old piebald mare, suffered horrific injuries following an attack at Essington Hall Farm, Essington when a group of youths fueled by drinking in local woods went into Maggies field and startled her, they proceeded to chase her, they repeatedly hurled a butcher%u2019s meat cleaver at her and she was put down the following day due to her injuries when her owner found her lying in a pool of blood. Maggie suffered a five-inch-deep cut to her neck, a three-and-a-half-inch cut on her shoulder and her right leg was broken. The mare%u2019s rear-leg tendon was severed by a blow which cut to the bone. The two youths who did this were given extremely lenient sentences.

What we would like to see is those who commit attacks like these punished more severely, with sentences being tougher, and more in line with the sentences for those convicted of assault, in the minor cases, and for the major cases, when horses and ponies are put down because of the trauma they have suffered, the sentences should be in line with those for drinking and driving, or causing death by dangerous driving. THE MAXIMUM SENTENCE ANYONE CAN RECEIVE IF CONVICTED OF THESE CRIMES IS SIX MONTHS,  we need to change this, as in Maggies case her attacker received the maximum sentence and was free in 6 weeks!

There has been a recent upturn in the number of attacks, and in those attacks, there is an upturn in the amount of violence used against the defenceless animals. Most of the attacks are committed in the middle of the night, and in the summer months.

In researching this topic, a number of cases have been brought to light where the attacks have been carried out by teenagers, usually after drinking heavily. Many of these horrific acts of violence are carried out with sharp knives, machetes, and airguns. In most cases, the horses and ponies involved are able to survive their wounds, but, as in Maggie%u2019s case, sometimes the attacks are so violent, that the horse or pony involved has to be put down.

One attack, in July 2007, left a pony bought for a 7yr old girl so badly injured, that he was unable to be ridden for several months.
These wounds are caused by a machete. This pony was a trusting and used to humans, and his trust has been betrayed in the most brutal fashion we can imagine. Another horse was slashed under the chest.

These animals look to humans to look after them, nurture, and protect them, yet there are those out there who needlessly and wilfully betray that trust. The Animals Act 2006 laid down certain penalties if those who look after animals neglect or mistreat them, yet for those who wilfully go out and attack them, there is no provision.

To those of us who own horses, they are more than just an animal, they are part of the family, and for those of us who have suffered the tragedy of seeing an animal needlessly injured or for a horse to have lost its life through a act of unspeakable violence, these acts of violence against an animal that we have bred to trust humans are just too much to bear.

We would like to see an amendment to the Animals Act 2006 to bring in tougher sentencing for those convicted of these attacks.

Horses and ponies have no voice, we would like to change that, and ensure their voice is heard.