Candelo Common horses rounded up, rehomed with concerns for their welfare

Crown Lands, Local Land Services and the Department of Primary Industries teamed up with the RSPCA NSW to conduct a mustering operation to remove the animals from Candelo Common, about 20km south-west of Bega.

As a result, 18 horses were being rehomed through charity organisation Horse Welfare Incorporated.

The charity supported the rehabilitation and rehousing of horses at risk in the Southern Tablelands, Snowy Monaro, Hunter Valley, and Mid North Coast areas.

Horse Welfare president Jo Briggs said many of the horses from Candelo were mares in foal so their rescue and rehoming would save even more horse lives.

"We help rescue horse surrenders, horses taken by agencies due to welfare issues, and horses that have been abandoned so that they can be rehabilitated and then safely rehomed," Ms Briggs said.

"Our commitment to the horse is to ensure they are well cared for and maintained for the rest of their days."

Crown Lands said it undertook inquiries in a bid to determine the owner of the horses, but they could not be located, so efforts were then made to rehome the animals.

Crown Lands said the Candelo Common Trust ceased operation in 2016 and the common was no longer available for grazing.

It said there had been ongoing concerns about the care and condition of horses left unattended on the Common without authorisation.

Crown Lands coordinated the rescue operation with Local Land Services providing temporary stock yards to herd the horses, as well as veterinarian support together with the Department of Primary Industries.

RSPCA NSW was also involved to monitor the operation and the welfare of horses.

Crown Lands executive director of land and asset management Greg Sullivan said it was a well-coordinated joint operation that went smoothly.

"This is a great outcome as these horses were not looked after and many were in poor condition and facing a hot summer with drying pasture conditions," Mr Sullivan said.

"Rehoming of the horses will help ensure their future welfare and also remove the possibility of them escaping the common and creating a public safety risk."

This was not the first time large numbers of horses have been removed from the Candelo Common.

In 2017, dozens of horses were impounded in a multi-agency operation following community reports of animals in need of care.

At the time, a concerned onlooker said animals had been kept on the area of public land known as the Candelo Common for at least a decade.

in 2019, a new sign erected at the Common outlining the illegality of grazing animals on Crown Land seemed to fall on deaf ears with horses still being kept there at the time.

Both matters were among several resulting in court proceedings and convictions. It was not yet known if the latest incident would be further investigated by prosecuting authorities.

However, ACM has asked that question of the RSPCA and Crown Lands.