On September 3, 2022, an investigator and stipendiary steward visited Lewis’ Kaitoke-based operation, where he offered a range of equine services including pretraining, foaling and weaning and had a stallion, Little Wonder, on lease from its owner.
Acantabelle was found to be malnourished with a severe skin ailment and overgrown hooves, and a vet’s assistance was immediately sought.
Other broodmares at the address were suffering from varying degrees of hair loss and were in need of a farrier’s attention, while paddocks were extremely muddy with little or no grass.
Due to grave concerns for the welfare of Acantabelle, RIB staff later returned to the address with two veterinary surgeons, who both concluded the mare urgently needed adequate and proper care.
Acantabelle was removed from Lewis’ property on humane grounds and a compliant notice was served on him in relation to three other malnourished broodmares which had been examined at the address.
After the RIB investigator left the address, she received a call from an aggressive and argumentative Lewis who called her “a piece of s**t” several times.
During birth, Acantabelle’s foal died and, due to her poor condition and health, vets could not assist her in recovering from the trauma of the labour and she was euthanised on humane grounds.
Giving evidence at a hearing before the Adjudicative Committee at the Whanagnui Racecourse on January 27, 2023, Lewis claimed he had grown up with horses and other animals and “knew the basics for treatment of horses”.
He told the committee the mare had been with a trainer in 2018 and was returned to him suffering a bacterial skin infection which he was treating himself, but it flared up during the following three to four years.
Acantabelle’s racing shoes were also embedded in her feet, and Lewis alleged a farrier had done “corrective trimming for three to four years”, but he started doing it himself in May 2022 as he could not afford the fees.
Lewis explained he didn’t feel it was an immediate necessity to call a vet out because he was treating the mare “based on my background, scientific knowledge and gut feeling”.
Lewis claimed he was “an habitual swearer” but denies abusing the investigator, saying he imply “swore in the sentence”.
In its decision released this month, the committee concluded on the totality of the evidence both charges had been proven, and it didn’t accept Lewis’ evidence on important issues as reliable.
“He displayed an overconfident attitude as to his ability that enabled him to properly treat and care for the mare because of his farming background and ‘gut feeling’, without ever calling for a vet to visit and treat the mare,” it ruled.
“His claim is ingenuous, illustrates his lack of insight and his obstinate refusal to recognise his serious shortcomings.”
The state of Acantabelle’s hooves was deplorable and could only have become that way over a significant period, and she had been undernourished for some time.
“She needed expert veterinarian and farrier intervention which had been neglected, for whatever the reason. Mr Lewis’ failure was lamentable.”
Lewis’ attempts to explain his swearing were described as disingenuous and rejected.
“The transcript is clear, as the call was recorded.
“It was unacceptable, improper, insulting behaviour, deliberately directed at a professional person.”
The committee is yet to reach a decision on penalties.
Attempts to contact Lewis went unanswered, but a post on the business’ Facebook page, made the day after the investigator’s visit, says it was permanently closed.
“This decision hasn’t been made lightly. But with my health up and down with having had surgery and treatment for cancer, this decision needed to be made for my own health.”
The post says with rising costs and little or no help from the racing industry, things weren’t worth persevering with.
