Monitored by One Voice for ten years now, Mr. P has been keeping dozens of horses in criminal conditions, with some dying as a result. After two seizures, Mr. P was banned from keeping animals. But this man didn’t stop, nor did One Voice.

It all began in 2006
Our investigative department was alerted about Mr. P regarding the mistreatment of his horses. A young stallion had just died when One Voice intervened. An initial seizure took place, saving 45 horses. Their physical decline was extreme. Neglected, their hooves were damaged, they were suffering from malnutrition, lymphangitis, arthritis, and thrush, an aliment which affects the area just above the hoof and also the back and the rump, leaving the horses skin inflamed and scabby. No water or shelter had been provided for them. Certain mares were pregnant but not one of them was capable of delivering a living foal because of the lack of care and inadequate living conditions.

Celeste, aged around twenty years old, was top of the list to be saved, but her owner managed to conceal her for two years. When the One Voice investigator eventually managed to locate the little mare in 2008, it was already too late. Celeste was in a terrible state in the corner of a field. Her head dangling, leaning against a wall, she was hardly able to stay on her feet as her leg was so devoured by fibrous tumours. The horse owner had bred her twice, but both times her young had died because of a lack of milk. The
DDPP* rushing to the scene, made the decision to quickly put Celeste down in order to end her horrendous suffering. One Voice couldn’t save Celeste, but luckily this was not the case for other horses.

The breeder’s long history of abuse
At the end of the seizure in 2006, Mr.P was definitively banned from keeping animals. Discrete but constant surveillance shows, however, that this man just doesn’t care. He purchases new horses which he then hides on friend’s properties. At One Voice’s request, a new seizure was organised taking place over three days, from the 6
^th to the 8^th of February 2014. During this operation several horses were once again found in worrying states of health.

Baloo, a young four year old male discovered in this operation, was the size of a ten month old foal. He was suffering from such malnutrition and was so weak that he had to be put on a drip before we could even think about moving him. Octave was isolated in a field on the edge of a forest. No water was provided for him, he was drinking out of puddles. He also resembled a one year old foal even though he was already three. We also discovered Annabelle and her foal at the bottom of a soaking field accompanied by other horses, behind a makeshift electric fence without hay or food of any kind provided for them. The foal was very weak, his ribs were showing and he was almost wild, it would appear that he had never had contact with humans. 19 horses were taken in this new seizure.

But will these rescues suffice to stop these criminal horse breeders? Nothing is less certain. Surveillance, investigations, seizures, official complaints and legal processes are likely to figure again for these serial torturers.

* Direction départementale de la protection des populations: Local French authority concerned with animal welfare (amongst other things)