More than 1,500 people applied to adopt one of the 37 Amersham horses in the RSPCA’s care. New homes were also found for a further 80 horses that had been rescued by the RSPCA from elsewhere.

Tamsin said: “They’re all such lovely ponies. They’re not scared of people and have been superstars. Twiggy is a big baby and loves to have cuddles. She’s a very pretty little horse and I think dressage will definitely be for her.

“Hamish looks amazing trotting around and he loves to go out hacking – he’ll take the lead wherever he goes. And Jerry knows he’s a bit special – he trots and canters with his little feet flicking, so he’s definitely got a career in the show ring.

“I’d definitely rehome more horses from the RSPCA. It’s nice to deal with the hairy cobs as well as the competition horses – we’ve had fun with these three and hope to get a few more!”

True to her word, Tamsin has just taken on another pony from the RSPCA - a five-year-old coloured cob called Leo, who is settling in well.

Another happy owner is Liz Downes, from Lincolnshire. She is thrilled that Shetland mares, 13-year-old Rosie and one-year-old Ruby get on so well with her other horses and ponies.

She said: “Rosie and Ruby are so different to big horses. They have a huge amount of personality packed into very little bodies!

“Rosie is still very shy and wary of people. She had a horrendous experience and horses have got long memories. But if you treat them with patience and kindness they soon come round.”

RSPCA equine rehoming officer Sally Learoyd said: “We’ve had a massive response to the Amersham appeal and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported us.

“Many people expressed an interest in adopting the horses, and sadly not everyone could be successful. But I would like to thank everyone who applied for their interest, time and patience.

“Some very experienced, knowledgeable people came forward and the horses are doing well in brilliant homes. The horses have had a long, difficult journey but now have great futures ahead of them – it’s wonderful to see.”

For further information about adopting a horse from the RSPCA or if you would like to support our work by making a donation, please visit www.rspca.org.uk.

-ends-

Notes to editors:

1. In May 2009 James Gray (46) and James Gray Junior (17) were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to 40 equines after a 12-week trial, brought by the RSPCA. Along with James Gray’s wife Julie (42) and daughters Jodie (27) and Cordelia (21), they were also found guilty of failing to meet the welfare needs of a further 114 equines.

Appeals against convictions brought by James Gray and Julie, Jodie and Cordelia Gray were dismissed. James Gray Junior (17) was acquitted on two charges, but convicted of the rest.
An arrest warrant was issued when James Gray absconded from court when his appeal against sentence failed. He was later caught and was sentenced to nine months in prison.

2. The Horse Trust is currently looking after 11 horses, ponies and donkeys that were rescued from Spindle Farm. Some of the older animals will be given lifetime sanctuary at the charity’s Home of Rest for Horses, such as jenny (female) donkey Gladys, who was unable to stand unaided for 10 days after she arrived, and Angel, a mare with eyesight problems. The Horse Trust hopes to rehome most of the younger horses and ponies to enable them to have an active life with a loving owner, however they require further training and will not be ready for rehoming for several months. The Horse Trust is also looking for good homes for retired, unridden horses under its rehoming scheme. To download an application form for taking on a retired horse, or one of the Spindle Farm horses, please visit: www.horsetrust.org.uk/the-horse-trust-rehoming-scheme.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary is currently caring for 63 of the horses, ponies and donkeys from the Amersham rescue. Many came into the Sanctuary with ongoing handling or veterinary issues so each will be individually assessed over the coming months and only those deemed suitable will join the Redwings Re-homing Scheme. In the meantime, if people are interested in becoming a Redwings Guardian and can offer a home to a rescued horse or pony, they can visit www.redwings.co.uk/rehoming for more information or to apply online.

World Horse Welfare took in 11 of the Amersham horses. They are now beginning to assess their suitability as either riding or companion horses for rehoming through their horse loan scheme. Anyone interested in rehoming a horse from World Horse Welfare can visit: www.worldhorsewelfare.org.

• A podcast which includes clips of Tamsin and Liz talking about how the horses are settling in is available from the press office. You can listen to it at www.rspca.org.uk/media/podcast.

The pair have become inseparable since meeting at The Horse Trust animal sanctuary in Buckinghamshire.

Angel is fully reliant on Tarna because she lost her sight when she was starved to within an inch of her life at Spindles Farm, Bucks.

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James Gray, 46, fled a hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court on 12 May and in his absence lost his appeal against his 26-week jail sentence.

He had been convicted of neglecting more than 100 animals at Spindle Farm in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

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We wanted to let you, our valued supporters, know as soon as we did: the original verdict in the Amersham animal cruelty case (brought by the RSPCA) has been upheld today (6 May 2010).

All five defendants were appealing against charges of neglect and cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Two of the charges were dismissed earlier in the appeal hearing, and the juvenile male was acquitted of a further two today. The rest were upheld by presiding judge Christopher Tyrer today following 33 days of evidence.

The appeal against sentence will take place on May 12th, also at Aylesbury Crown Court at 10am

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His son, James Gray Junior (16), was ordered to complete an 18-month supervision order and banned from keeping equines for 10 years.

Wife Julie Gray (42) and daughters Jodie Gray (26) and Cordelia Gray (21) were ordered to complete 150 hours of community service and were banned from keeping equines for 10 years. Julie Gray was ordered to pay £750 in costs and Cordelia and Jodie Gray were ordered to pay £500 each in costs.

James Gray and his son James Gray Junior were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to 40 equines on Friday 8 May after a 12-week trial, brought by the RSPCA. Along with wife Julie Gray and daughters Jodie Gray and Cordelia Gray they were also found guilty of failing to meet the welfare needs of 114 equines.

The family was prosecuted after RSPCA inspectors discovered more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys and the bodies of a further 32 equines at Spindle Farm near Amersham between Friday 4 and Wednesday 9 January 2008.

RSPCA inspector Kirsty Hampton said: “The RSPCA is pleased that the district judge has recognised the extent of the cruelty, neglect and the suffering endured by the animals in this case. We see the disqualifications from keeping horses as an effective measure to prevent animals suffering in the future.”

Inspector Hampton described the conditions that the horses were kept in as ‘grotesque’.

She said: “When we arrived at the farm we were confronted with an extremely distressing scene. The stench of decomposition and urine was overpowering. The sight of horses left in such a miserable state will stay with me forever and I hope I never have to see animals treated with such little care and compassion again.”

Officers from World Horse Welfare, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, vets and Thames Valley Police worked alongside the RSPCA in very difficult conditions to rescue the surviving animals from the terrible scene.

Many of the animals had little food or dry bedding and were crammed into pens, ankle deep in faeces. Other horses had simply been left to die where they fell and then, surrounded by their companions, decomposed. Further carcasses were discovered in surrounding fields, some burned on bonfires, and there was a pile of bones and a skull against an outbuilding.

District Judge Andrew Vickers said of James John Gray at today’s hearing at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court: “I know you have a strong background with equines so it is all the more sad that you stand convicted. It is something your father and grandfather would be ashamed of.”

All the defendants had denied all counts of cruelty and neglect. In court, James Gray claimed sole responsibility for the animals and said his wife and one of his daughters were “frightened” of the horses.

He said he ran a limited company dealing in 2,300 to 2,400 equines a year and, of these, “nine or ten” would die. He added that bad weather had been responsible for the wet bedding and “temporary” overcrowding when the RSPCA visited his farm in January 2008. He denied that the horses were poorly fed and housed.

The investigation has been one of the RSPCA’s biggest ever, and just providing care and rehabilitation treatment for the horses has cost the charity more than £850,000.

If members of the public would like to contribute towards the work of the RSPCA and the animals in its care, they should call 0300 123 8000 or visit www.rspca.org.uk/amershamhorses.

His 16 year old son James Gray Junior has been banned for 10 years and given an 18 month supervision order. Daughters Jodie (26) and Cordelia (21) have been banned for 10 years and given costs of £500 each and their mother Julie (42) has been banned for 10 years and given costs of £750. All three women have also been ordered to carry out 150 hours community service which must be carried out within 12 months. The family cannot appeal their bans for five years.

It was the worst case of horse welfare abuse in UK history. 32 horses, ponies and donkeys were found dead and 111 were removed from Spindles Farm in January 2008 in an RSPCA led investigation.

Leading international horse charity World Horse Welfare, which took 11 of the Amersham horses, is delighted with today’s result. Says Roly Owers, Chief Executive:

“World Horse Welfare is extremely pleased that justice has prevailed and James Gray has been given a 24 week custodial sentence and banned from owning and keeping horses for life. We are also very relieved that the rest of the family have been given 10 year bans as it will prevent more horses from suffering in their care for a considerable time, but it is essential that the bans are properly enforced.

“Many people will think that no sentence can do justice to the cruelty the Grays inflicted on their horses but this is the most high profile test of new legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and it sends a clear warning message that neglecting and mistreating horses in this way is totally unacceptable and should always carry a heavy punishment.

“After lots of care and rehabilitation, our 11 Amersham horses have fully recovered and we are delighted that we can start to look for loving new loan homes for them where they can look forward to a happy life far removed from the one they experienced in the hands of the Gray family.”

World Horse Welfare Field Officer Nick White was one of the first at the scene back in January 2008 and will never forget what he saw. He says:

“After seeing the conditions in the fields, it wasn’t until I went into the yard that the enormity of it hit me… there were dead horses on the ground in front of me, and to the right. I looked across there was a dead horse in the stalls. It was like walking into another world.

“There were none of the normal noises I associate with a stable yard – horses moving about, eating, drinking, calling out to one another or the gentle noises that horses make when approached, expecting to be fed or cared for. They were totally silent. Even the horses that appeared in better bodily condition seemed to be depressed, almost as if they had lost their dignity.”

Sentencing is due to take place at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court at 12pm.

James John Gray (45), his son James Gray Junior (16) were found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to 40 equines on Friday 8 May after a 12-week trial brought by the RSPCA.

Along with wife Julie Gray (41) and daughters Jodie Gray (26) and Cordelia Gray (20) they were also found guilty of failing to meet the welfare needs of 114 equines.

James Gray, his wife Julie, son James Gray Junior and daughter Cordelia are from Spindle Farm, Hyde Heath, Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Cordelia’s sister, Jodie Gray, is from Park Road, Ashford, Middlesex.

It was one of the worst cases of horse welfare abuse in UK history. 32 horses, ponies and donkeys were found dead and over 100 were removed from Spindles Farm in Amersham in January 2008. Sentencing will take place at Aylesbury Magistrates Court in four weeks time.

Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Chief Executive says: “World Horse Welfare is pleased that justice has prevailed and James Gray and his son have been found guilty on all counts.

“This is the most high profile test of new legislation under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and it must send a clear message that neglecting and mistreating horses in this way is totally unacceptable.

“World Horse Welfare took in 11 of the Amersham horses and after lots of care and rehabilitation, we are pleased to say that they have all now recovered. If we are awarded permanent custody of the horses, we will be looking for loving new loan homes for them where they can look forward to a happy life far removed from the one they experienced in the hands of the Gray family.”

World Horse Welfare Field Officer Nick White, who was one of the first at the scene:

“After seeing the conditions in the fields, it wasn’t until I went into the yard that the enormity of it hit me… there were dead horses on the ground in front of me, and to the right. I looked across there was a dead horse in the stalls. It was like walking into another world.

“There were none of the normal noises I associate with a stable yard – horses moving about, eating, drinking, calling out to one another or the gentle noises that horses make when approached, expecting to be fed or cared for. They were totally silent. Even the horses that appeared in better bodily condition seemed to be depressed, almost as if they had lost their dignity.”

You can watch a video interview with Nick White here:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?v=EYdYiVmXz8I&user=horsecharity

In January 2008, 111 horses, ponies and donkeys were removed from Spindles Farm in a joint rescue operation involving several equine welfare charities. A further 31 animals were found dead at the scene, prompting extensive media coverage of what is thought to be the largest horse welfare operation ever undertaken in the UK.

Today’s verdict, at which Gray and members of his family were found guilty of a number of charges related to causing unnecessary suffering provoked BHS Chief Executive Graham Cory to issue the following statement:

“These guilty verdicts are scarcely a cause for celebration. We must remember that many horses and ponies suffered inexcusable cruelty at the hands of these people. But we are certainly pleased that they have at last been brought to justice.

“Now we must move on and treat the Amersham case as a spur to even greater efforts to tackle cases of equine neglect and abuse.”

Horse trader James Gray, 45, and his son James Gray Junior, 16, were found guilty of 11 charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

His wife Julie Gray, 41, and daughters Jodie, 26, and Cordelia, 20, were each found guilty of two charges.

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