Four horses rescued from neglect have begun a new life at stables in America.

The animals were among seven removed from the care of Calix Darrell by the SPCA last year after they were found in terrible conditions at his Southampton stable.

As The Royal Gazette has previously reported, Darrell, a 68-year-old truck driver from Fairvale Lane, Warwick, pleaded guilty to cruelty charges when he appeared at Magistrates? Court. He was banned from keeping animals for five years and handed a suspended sentence after admitting a catalogue of cruelty.

The horses were found shut up in dark stables, with filthy bedding, no water and unkempt hooves. Several were underweight and one of them ? a black stallion named Shaka ? was so emaciated he had to be destroyed immediately. Two more of the horses failed to recover from their ordeal and had to be put down later.

The case was described by the SPCA and the Police as the largest case of horse neglect ever seen in Bermuda.

The surviving horses ? mare Aya, her foal Bia and geldings Don and Cola ? were looked after at a private stables in Bermuda after the SPCA rescued them. However, the charity was recently able to secure a new home for them in South Carolina, USA.

?They?ve gone to a wonderful retirement stable to live the rest of their lives. They won?t have any work to do ? they?ll be out in the fields. It?s a tremendous happy ending and they are looking wonderful,? said SPCA Inspector Beaman Smith.

SPCA shelter chairman Andrew Madeiros stressed that while the organisation was thrilled the horses have a happy new home, it would not usually be able to rehouse horses abroad due to the cost involved.

The charity estimates that it spent more than $60,000 and the Police $30,000 on caring for the animals and rehoming them.

?It ended up costing us a lot, and retiring a horse in Bermuda is very difficult,? said Dr. Madeiros. He warned anyone thinking of taking on a horse to think carefully about their ability to care for it properly.

Besides the horses, a rabbit and two dogs were removed from Mr. Darrell after being found in a state of neglect. The rabbit later died, but the dogs ? middle aged cross breed males named Tempo and Semo ? are now thriving at the SPCA kennels, and are in need of a new home.

The charity would ideally like to rehome the pair together. Anyone who can help should contact the SPCA on 236-7333.