Just three weeks ago, 25 thin and neglected foals, stallions and pregnant mares were removed from an isolated farm in Aberdeenshire. The semi feral horses had not been handled or received even the most basic of care for many months and were forced to wade through thick mud to reach what little grazing was available. They had been allowed to breed indiscriminately and the body of a still born foal had been left where it lay. A weak and collapsed filly was also found and had to be put to sleep.

The plight of the horses was discovered after a concerned member of the public called World Horse Welfares free UK Welfare Hotline. Field Officer Doug Howie was sent to investigate and was shocked at what he found. Doug knew that in order to get the horses signed over and ensure their safe removal, he would have to keep quiet about a terrible discovery he had made at the premises.