It's a bit of an odd one. "He is charged with allegedly failing to keep a horse imported from the Irish Republic in isolation to prevent possible infection with strangles. "
Now was he meant to isolate the Irish horse to stop IT getting strangles - or to stop the Irish horse giving strangles to other horses. The former is a MUCH more likely scenario - AFAIK there is very little Strangles in Ireland.
A friend imported two horses from Ireland which subsequently got strangles - but they were beaten to it by a horse who had just returned from Liverpool after treatment with an immuno-suppressant! Turned out the yard had a carrier - but for a while everyone was blaming the Irish horses! Nothing else on the yard got it - they all had immunity through long-term contact with the carrier.
I wonder if they prosecuted the dealer that brought Swamp Fever into the country!!!
This all sounds very odd to me - would like to know just how many common or garden dealers do isolate new (Irish) horses - and in any case, if strangles is as infectious as we are led to believe, surely just isolating them wouldn't necessarily be enough - changing boots/clothes after contact - separate barrows, forks, nets etc for the 3(?) weeks isolation period.... yeah!!
Actually this case is quite dodgy, and he has not being convicted yet, he has appealed against it and it is currently at crown court (My girlfriend is following the case).
The prosectuors are mainly council members, one of which has known Peter Jones for over 20years, and does not get on with him!
Part of the case is 'neglect' and council members went to his stables and inspected the horses and said "yes, the horses are neglected" and she then did nothing for over 5 months, even though she has the power to remove the horses from him there and then... sounds like they horses were really neglected!
Anyway, I'm just saying you shouldn't jump to conclusions quickly!
He was found guilty of nine passport offences and two cruelty charges which included not seeking vet treatment for a horse with strangles. Not isolating the horse was just one of the charges against him. http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/306784.html
Agree with Dano and why should they prosecute someone for not isolating a horse because it's down to personal beliefs surely as long as he did not move any other horse on his yard at the same time? I know many vets who recommend if a strangles case comes onto a yard to batten down the hatches, no movement in or out but to not worry about contact as it's better to get it all over and done with rather than have cases drag on. It's when people still insist on taking their horses out if there's a case on the yard that are the selfish ones; one very well know north west sporthorse dealers/competitors have been doing just that all this year while strangles has been rife on their yard. Now that is disgraceful but nobody's stopped them.
Not quite sure why Dano has brought this post up again, but the dealer had charges of neglect brought against him. The horse with strangles wasn't given treatment or even seen by a vet. The fact that it was left with other horses on the yard was just one of the issues that was brought to court. It wasn't a case of a good horse owner just not islolating a horse with strangles. The yard had a moving population of horses coming in and out.
From the sound of the report, I think the charges were essentally brought to curb the neglect going on.
The point I'm making is that the case is pretty much a witch hunt for Peter Jones, started and pushed further by the council member that has disliked him for over 20 years.
And do you not think the fact Peter Jones is spending all this money in crown court (Barristers, expert witnesses etc do not come cheap!), that he may be innocent!
And the passport issues were down to mistakes in one or two passports, he produced 14 or so good passports.
My girlfriend has said that the case might be over today, so we will know if Peter was convicted of these charges or not.