Christine Weisheit to appeal court ban on horse ownership

A Victorian woman ordered to surrender scores of horses will appeal a court’s decision to ban her from owning the animals.

Christine Weisheit was convicted of animal cruelty in July 2023.

A woman convicted of animal abuse will appeal a court ban preventing her from owning horses, saying that her “fragmented” and extensive hearing was “not fair”.

Christine Weisheit, 66, was ordered to surrender scores of horses and pay $100,000 in mid-July after a seven-year-long legal affair about her mistreatment of more than 100 animals at a property near Ararat.

The matter stemmed from an RSPCA discovery of up to 30 dead horses and many others among a herd of about 100 in poor health at Ms Weisheit’s home in January 2016.

Consequent charges mainly had to do with malnutrition and insufficient vet care, but others involved insufficient drink and the improper confinement of animals.

Weisheit appeared at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Monday hoping to put a stay on the disqualification order.

“I came to the court on Friday and put in the appeal,” she told the court.

“The court hearing was very fragmented … I saw no evidence.”

RSPCA prosecutor Amelia Beech said during Weisheit’s earlier hearings that the whole legal affair was prolonged partly due to Weisheit’s own conduct and the few concessions she made about the associated accusations.

On Monday, Weisheit said the hearing “wasn’t fair” and parties in the matter “waffled, waffled, waffled”.

Her appeal was adjourned until the end of the week to give the RSPCA a chance to be heard.