Polo ponies on Spirit of Tasmania ferry were 'going to cook' due to travel conditions, court told

An engineer who modelled the conditions horses would have experienced on a Spirit of Tasmania journey in 2018 has told a court the temperature meant they were "going to cook".

Warning: details in this story may be distressing for some readers.

Sixteen polo ponies were found dead inside a trailer after a Bass Strait crossing between Devonport and Melbourne. Two more ponies survived.

Ferry operator TT-Line is fighting 29 charges of breaching the Animal Welfare Act, including that it failed to ensure the horses were individually stalled and that there was adequate ventilation.

Engineer Conrad Stacey told the Burnie Magistrates Court his modelling showed the temperature inside the horse trailer would have been at best, very uncomfortable, and at worst, fatal.

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Article written By Monte Bovill