Scientist's starving horses found in squalor in Forest of Dean
Suzanne Wynne Jenkins, 33, looked after 49 horses at her stud farm in Kilcot, Gloucestershire and let around a quarter of them fall into an "extremely poor and distressing state", it was alleged.
Jenkins, who has an equine science degree, denies three charges of causing unnecessary suffering and five of poor husbandry, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The charges relate to the alleged mistreatment of 13 horses throughout June last year, at the North Farm stud and stables she owned, in Aston Ingham Road.
Prosecutor David Glass told Coleford Magistrates' Court that Jenkins, who has since moved to Spain, owned 60 horses in total, with 11 kept at another farm in Devon.
Concerns about the conditions were raised earlier in the year when a prospective buyer of the farm came down from Devon to visit the premises, a district judge was told.
She was so worried about the emaciated frames of the creatures that the woman offered to take some of them home, it was claimed.
Mr Glass added: "She found the quality of the horses was extremely poor and distressing."
On June 21 two RSCPA inspectors inspected the stables and found one horse, Polar Princess, 'severly underweight', Mr Glass said.
A one-year-old colt, called Grandezzo, was 'abnormally weak and thin', and suffered skin lesions, it was claimed.
Impressario was also thin and had a poor coat, while another, Ulando, was 'emaciated with a poor body condition and dental problems', Mr Glass said.
A three-year-old mare, called Evie, had a 'very poor body condition', it was argued.
There were worries about adequate water for a lactating mare, while Gray Ghost, also known as Max, was kept in a 'muddy flooding outdoor pen, with horse droppings and no shelter', Mr Glass said.
A five-year-old gelding named Lugiani was kept in a stable with a rubber mat that had 'between two to three days muck in it', the prosecutor added.
Mr Glass added: "Three horses were kept outdoors in School Field, with no supplementary food, poor fencing, broken panels, protruding nails and plastic wrapping which there was a danger horses might attempt to eat given the lack of supplementary food."
The following day, June 22, five horses, which form the subject of three unnecessary suffering charges, were seized and sent to a sanctuary in nearby Leominster.
The prosecutor said they were all restored to 'excellent condition by December 2007.
In interview Jenkins said she had graduated from Aberystwyth University with a BSc in Equine Science and had run the premises for 18 years.
She did not accept she had failed to provide proper care for the horses.
Mr Glass said: "She gave various explanations, in particular that some had a virus, and others had medical conditions and generally that horses had various 'ups and downs' as they were growing, causing them to be underweight. She said they were all improving at the time of the inspection."
Jenkins has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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