BASILDON, ESSEX: FRANK EVES AND CHLOE SEABRIGHT CONVICTED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY
Horse traders Frank Eves and Chloe Seabright, who are travellers, pleaded guilty to five offences of causing unnecessary suffering to multiple animals.The five offences are as follows: - failing to adequately investigate or address the cause of five horses underweight or poor bodily conditions - failing to provide prompt or effective veterinary care and attention for pressure sores and coughing of a colt - failing to provide an adequate supply of drinking water to a gelding and a filly leading to their dehydrated condition - causing unnecessary suffering to a gelding by failing to provide veterinary care and attention for his lameness - failing to investigate or address the underweight or poor bodily conditions of two lurcher dogs.
In January 2025 the RSPCA, accompanied by police and a vet, attended a location at Essex Yeomanry Way, Chelmsford.
The vet confirmed five horses were likely to be suffering and needed to be removed from the premises.
One of the horses examined was a black foal whose spine, hips, and ribs were easily felt showing he was very underweight.
There was also a foul smell of infection, as he had two large open infected wounds on both elbows which were both leaking a large amount of green pus.
A coloured gelding was also removed after it was found he was in poor condition.
There was no food or water in his stable and he was forced to stand on wet mud and faeces due to a lack of bedding.
Another stable contained two bay horses.
The stable was made from pallets and harass fencing.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “It was particularly hazardous as the pallets contained a vast number of nails, exposing their sharp point.
The horses in this stable were terrified.
They had no food or water, and were standing on wet mud/faeces as they had no clean bedding.
They both looked to be underweight.” A paddock containing a further four horses was discovered and the vet became concerned about a bay gelding who was described as “severely lame in walk”.
The horses were removed from the location and warning notices issued for remaining animals.
They were taken to an equine veterinary practice where they were re-examined by the vet.
The black colt had a body condition score of 0/5, with significant infected elbow sores, respiratory inflammation, suspected pneumonia, and lower airway inflammation.
He required constant veterinary care due to an inability to get up unassisted.
A 15-year-old Skewbald was in a poor body condition of 0/5 and was extremely underweight.
Two dark bay horses were also found to have a body condition of 0/5.
The vet who attended the location said in their report: “The conditions in which all these exhibits (animals) were kept were some of the worst I have seen.
“Some of the exhibits had noticeable signs of illness, lameness, and disease.
In my opinion, all of the exhibits seized had evidence of chronic feed deprivation and for most, evidence of significant water deprivation.
“To summarize, feed and water deprivation, housing in totally inappropriate and over-stocked and dangerous areas and non-treatment of obvious skin disease, lameness, and infection were all significant issues onsite.
The care of these exhibits fell far below the normal standard of care of any animal owner.” In mitigation, the court heard the couple had “become overwhelmed” due to their lack of maturity.
Seabright was also said to have poor mental health.
Sentencing was a concurrent six-month prison sentence for each offence, suspended for 18 months.
They were disqualified from keeping horses for seven years, which expires in March 2033.
