A young man who failed to look after two ponies left court sobbing after he was banned from keeping animals for five years.
Nicholas Hayes (24), who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, let a bay pony called Ellie May and a grey gelding, called Nico, go hungry for between eight and 10 weeks, resulting in them becoming so thin that when animal welfare officers were called the ponies were swaying on their feet, too weak to stand properly.
Magistrates at Spalding on Wednesday heard that a good supply of food for the ponies was found on the eight-acre smallholding Hayes shared with his mother in Fifth Drove, Gosberton Clough.
Mrs Hayes had previously stood before the court with her son charged with the same two offences, of causing unnecessary suffering, but she was acquitted after the court was told her medical conditions meant she was not well enough to carry out the day to day care of the animals and left it to her son.
Beris Brickles, prosecuting, said Trading Standards visited the Hayes last December after a tip-off that there were dead horses on the smallholding.
They found Ellie May in a loose box next to another containing a dead pony and Nico was discovered in a smaller shed. The RSPCA, police and a vet were called.
Both ponies have since made a full recovery.
Hayes will have to wait at least two years before he can apply for the ban, which prohibits him from keeping, owning or participating in the keeping of animals, to be lifted. He was also given a supervision order and ordered to pay £250 contribution to court costs.
RSPCA inspector Andy Bostock welcomed the sentence, saying it emphasised the need for people with learning difficulties to be properly supervised when looking after animals.