SA trainer admits dumping dead horses

A horse trainer who dumped dead horses at a conservation park south of Adelaide has pleaded guilty to illegally disposing of the animals.

Trevor Lionel Day, 47, admitted three counts of unlawful disposal of waste in the Environment, Resources and Development Court on Tuesday.

Day was previously fined $2500 and suspended for 27 months by Thoroughbred Racing SA after disposing of the 13 horses in the Mount Magnificent Conservation Park between 2013 and 2015.

Stewards determined the horses were in Day's care before their deaths and were disposed of over a nine-year period.

An inquiry revealed no evidence of ill treatment or welfare-related issues with any of the animals.

The horses were found in April last year and some were identified as unraced thoroughbreds.

In court on Tuesday, Judge Jack Costello adjourned Day's case for sentencing submissions on March 2.

The Environment Protection Authority said maximum penalties for illegal dumping by an individual were a fine of $120,000 or a two-year jail sentence.