A man who blamed the dark on failing to see how injured his horse was has been banned by magistrates from keeping animals for five years.

Mark Haigh, 49, of Buller Street, Bowling, Bradford, pleaded guilty to not getting veterinary help for a grey mare called Hannah that he had owned since October, 2010 and kept in a field off Santa Monica Road, Idle Moor.

As well as the ban Haigh was ordered to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work, and pay £900 towards case costs of more than £4,600.

Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court heard how RSPCA officers were alerted to the horse’s plight last January.

An inspector found the horse to be lame in one of its back legs, unable to put weight on it or move. On three occasions notes were left asking the owner to get in touch but he did not.

On January 10 a vet was called by the RSPCA to look at the horse and gave it some anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics. The animal’s knee injury was diagnosed as chronic.

But magistrates heard the vet believed the injury was likely to pre-date Haigh’s ownership and could not be sure whether it was as a result of a fall or an earlier arthritic condition.

Haigh had told the RSPCA when he bought Hannah he had been told she had arthritis and that she stiffened up in the winter. He said it was because he only visited her in the hours of darkness that he had not realised how bad she was and with hindsight should have done more and not left her.

Haigh, who works as a DJ but is off sick because of back problems, had no previous convictions and was of good character, the court heard.

The RSPCA had asked for costs of £4,623.10 which included £2,959.13 for vet fees and £912 legal fees.

The horse died while in the care of the RSPCA from an unrelated liver condition, the court was told.