Men face court over pony death
Two men have pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the death of 16 polo ponies being transported across Bass Strait to Melbourne on the Spirit of Tasmania last year.
The ponies had competed at Barnbougle Polo and were found dead in the truck about an hour after arriving in Victoria.
Former Australian polo captain Andrew Williams, who was the driver of one of the pony transport trucks used, is accused of using a method of management reasonably likely to cause unreasonable and unjustifiable pain and suffering, and failing to ensure the horses were individually stalled.
Thomas Martin, who was driving another pony transport truck on the crossing, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of transporting horses that were not individually stalled. No horses died on that truck.
The matters have been adjourned until November.