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Buyers allege Welsh seller mis-sold dangerous and injured horses on Facebook
Multiple horse buyers claim Tasha Lee Hopkins sold them injured or untrained horses, prompting calls for digital equine passports and stricter trading checks.
The short version
- Five buyers told the BBC that seller Tasha Lee Hopkins mis-sold them horses via Facebook that were unsafe to ride or suffered from severe, undisclosed medical conditions.
- Incidents included a 13-year-old girl suffering a concussion after being kicked by an untrained horse, while a court ordered Hopkins to pay £11,000 in damages to another buyer after selling a horse with chronic arthritis.
- Meta removed reported Facebook content linked to the seller, while horse welfare groups highlighted the total lack of regulatory or voluntary standards for equine trading.
- Advocates are pushing for digital horse passports to prevent sellers from hiding medical histories, a measure the Welsh government acknowledged could improve identification records.
Key facts
- Five women told the BBC that seller Tasha Lee Hopkins mis-sold them unsafe or severely injured horses via Facebook.[BBC News]
- A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized with a concussion after a horse purchased from Hopkins bucked, bolted, and kicked her in the head during a lesson.[BBC News]
- The Swansea County Court ordered Hopkins to pay Kayleigh Sweet £11,000 in damages and expenses after Sweet was sold a horse with severe arthritis that had previously been recommended for euthanasia.[BBC News]
- World Horse Welfare confirmed there are no voluntary or regulatory industry standards governing horse trading.[BBC News]
- Meta stated that it removed content related to the CT Sports Horses Facebook group after policy violations were reported.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
Sources
- Facebook seller mis-sold me a horse that kicked my daughter in the headBBC News - Top Stories