The sight of tatty, scrawny horses tethered on roadsides and patches of grass has become commonplace across the Bradford district.

With horses passing hands for just a few pounds in Bradford, it’s little wonder that so many of them end up in the ownership of people with neither the skills nor the means to look after them properly.

In a recent Telegraph & Argus report, the RSPCA warned that horses are being sold for as little as £5, which has resulted in a growing number of the animals owned by people who are not giving them the care they need.

The charity’s cruelty line received 656 complaints about horse welfare in the Bradford district last year. Nationally, it costs the RSPCA £4 million a year to take in abandoned and mistreated horses.

RSPCA equine co-ordinator, chief inspector Cathy Hyde, says the surplus of horses is down to them being overbred and sold very cheaply to people without the knowledge to look after them properly. “People who never imagined they would own a horse are doing so. Some are even keeping them in their gardens,” she said.

Last month the T&A reported that a father and son allowed a horse in their care to starve to death. The pair, who kept five horses in a family-owned field at Lidget Green, pleaded guilty to charges involving two of their animals and were each ordered to pay £250 in fines and costs.

Bradford and Keighley magistrates heard that a cob pony was found emaciated and malnourished and was very weak. Another horse was also in a poor condition and was taken into care by the RSPCA.

Rising horse numbers has led to more loose horses in the district, and more abandoned and neglected horses being handed over to already overstretched rescue centres. Roleystone Horse and Pony Sanctuary in Wrose is being forced to close its doors to any more animals as it struggles to feed the 36 horses it currently accommodates.

Volunteers say the rescue centre is at “saturation point”. As well as rising numbers of abandoned, mistreated horses, the recession has hit the sanctuary hard – with a sharp rise in horses brought in by people no longer able to afford them and a significant drop in donations.

“We face the heartbreaking task of turning horses away. If donations don’t substantially improve, the sanctuary will be forced to close,” says volunteer Catherine Patyk.

Most horses are brought in by owners who lack the means or experience to look after them. Many animals are underweight and suffer health problems related to poor diet and maintenance.

Bradford Police Horse Watch is calling for more enforcement on getting horses microchipped and registered with a passport, to tackle the rising problem of them being abandoned after a cheap sale.

About three-quarters of the horses the RSPCA takes in don’t have a passport, so their owners can’t be traced and there are no up-to-date records about the animals’ history.

Louise Kirk of Keighley has kept horses since childhood, and works with Horse Watch on trying to trace stolen and abandoned horses.

She says that without proper enforcement of the passport system, horses can easily fall into the hands of people who have little knowledge of horse care. “There are so many horses being bred now, they’ve become a disposable commodity,” she says.

She adds: “Keeping a horse is a huge responsibility, and it costs money. You’ve got basics like hay, bedding and stable rugs, then there are grazing and stabling fees.

“You also need knowledge of horses and the care they require, or you could easily miss potentially serious health conditions. Bad teeth are a problem with neglected horses – this means they can’t chew properly, leading to malnutrition.

“Until the Government tightens the legislation enforcing a passport system, and the ‘fly grazing’ of horses, we will be left with more and more neglected, malnourished horses tethered and dumped around the district.”