A woman was in Owen Sound court today, charged with failing to care for her horses.
Lynda Smith is representing herself in court and had a lot of questions for OSPCA agents.
Smith faces several charges under the OSPCA Act for failing to provide care to a number of horses at her farm near Markdale and for failing to comply with an OSPCA order.
The charges were laid last year after three women who call themselves horse rescuers exposed conditions on Smith’s farm. At the time Smith had already been ordered by the OSPCA to provide more food to her horses and to improve the conditions of the horses’ stalls
Today in court one of the OSPCA investigators testified that there were several emaciated horses on the farm. The agent said she had concerns about how little the horses were being fed saying, “When you see a horse with no leftover hay and the horse appears to be emaciated, then it is safe to say the horse is not getting enough hay.”
Smith is representing herself and many of her questions during cross examination centred on feed: asking whether or not some horses eat less during the winter and whether different horses have different dietary requirements. She also asked an OSPCA agent who was testifying about whether a horse with ribs showing is acceptable.
The agent responded that sometimes, yes it is.
The agent says she last visited Smith’s farm in October and she says the conditions had improved since Smith was charged in March 2013.
