A HORSE which was one of 19 rescued from a Bury "sanctuary" by the RSPCA has been named best in show.

Jack, an 18 hand Normandy Cob nicknamed The Dinosaur, was signed over to the animal charity after concerns were raised when a horse collapsed in a field and had to be put down in November 2016.

His owner then had nineteen of her animals seized to RSPCA Felledge Equine Centre, near Durham, after a second horse was put to sleep and two other horses were found to be in very poor condition.

RSPCA inspector Danni Jennings said: "We and our colleagues at World Horse Welfare had worked with the owner to improve welfare and reduce the number of horses in her care and were planning a revisit when we got the call.

"A second horse was put to sleep at the scene on veterinary advice. Two horses were found to have severe rug rubs that had gone down to the bone, others had Cushing's Disease, rain scald and lice."

The owner pleaded guilty to six offences under the Animal Welfare Act for unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of the horses.

She was also disqualified from keeping horses for 10 years, given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £420 costs, at Manchester Crown court last December.

Jack was later rehomed by Sam Cook from Skipton who has since shown him at one of the UK's biggest horse shows — Equifest.

At the five-day event he went on to claim first-place in the In Hand World Breeds four-years-old and over class, and came third in the PRP Rescue / RSPCA In Hand - Plaited/Hogged any-age and PRP Rescue / RSPCA Ridden Plaited / Hogged classes.

Ms Cook said: "I lost my old mare who I’d had for 15 years and I mentioned to a friend who works for the RSPCA that I was looking.

"She told me about this horse that the staff at RSPCA Felledge Equine Centre had taken to calling The Dinosaur.

"They were worried about how they were going to find him a home because of how enormous he is and I thought, let’s go see him. Of course it was love at first sight.

"They set me the challenge of competing in the ridden class at Equifest and we did it, and got third. We’re going to be making it a regular thing.

"I’ve always had rescues since I had my first pony at 10 years old. Every one of them has been perfect."

Another pony rescued from the sanctuary Anna remains at the Felledge centre and the RSPCA are appealing for a very light hack or companion home to give her a loving home.

Lisa Paulin from Felledge said: "Anna is a smart pony approximately 12.2hh. She’s good to catch, lead, groom, clip and having been broken to ride will make a good lead rein pony for an experienced family.

"Anna does suffer from mild sweet-itch and will need to be carefully managed during the warmer months but has happily lived out all year in RSPCA care with a fly sheet on."

Today it was revealed that the number of complaints of animal cruelty investigated in Greater Manchester was second only to Greater London, according to the RSCPA's latest figures.

This year the charity is focussing on the plight of horses as rescuers and charities struggle to cope with an ongoing crisis.

Greater Manchester saw 535 cruelty complaints to the RSPCA last year, however the figure had dropped since 2016.

Christine McNeil, the RSPCA’s inspectorate national equine co-ordinator, said: “We’ve been talking about the horse crisis for several years now, but the truth is the situation is just as severe today as when it started.

"Last year we took in more horses than we have in any of the past four years at 980, and with our inspectors being called to rescue more and more every week, we are stretched to the limits.

"Up and down the country, horses are being found sick, or dumped liked rubbish, dying or dead.

"Distressingly, this is common and it’s a huge issue. We are constantly receiving calls to our cruelty line - on average 80 per day about horses alone - as well as messages every day on social media from very concerned and upset people asking for our help."

If you are concerned about an animal’s welfare, you can report it to the RSPCA cruelty line on 0300 1234 999.