SINGAPORE — Acting on an “atypical” number of complaints from the public, former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) officer Wendy Toh went to Gallop Stable’s Pasir Ris ranch for an inspection — and found a horse unable to stand, with an extensive wound on its right hind leg, and ulcers in its eyes.

Giving this testimony on the first day of the trial of Gallop Stable, which is being accused of animal cruelty, Dr Toh said the sight left her “really, really concerned”. The horse, which was lying on its side, also had a swollen left thigh, taking deep, quick breaths, and was unresponsive to human contact.

The thoroughbred mare was in a sorry state that warranted “immediate attention of a veterinarian”, said Dr Toh, who went to the ranch on May 15, 2013.

Gallop Stable, which operates three ranches here and one in Malaysia, is disputing one charge of failing to provide adequate veterinary attention to the thoroughbred mare named Sharpy, thus causing it “unnecessary suffering”.

The defence, led by lawyer Simon Tan, is arguing that Sharpy was already suffering from a condition called lymphangitis before Gallop Stable acquired it from Malaysia. Lymphangitis is the inflammation of organs, ducts and glands in its immune system.

Dr Toh, who has since left the AVA, testified on Wednesday (May 11) that she had advised stable hands to engage a veterinarian to tend to Sharpy. During her visit the next day, she witnessed a vet clean Sharpy’s wounds and helped it stand up. The horse was on the thin side, and its swollen left thigh was “two to three times larger” than that of an average horse’s, said Dr Toh.

Two days later (May 18), she made a “surprise visit” to the ranch and found that Sharpy’s condition had deteriorated. “The horse was lying on its side again and appeared to be in a lot of pain. It was breathing very hard and its wounds were dirty again,” she told the court.

Dr Toh observed maggots in Sharpy’s wounds and “tears rolling down its eyes”, she said, adding that the horse was riddled with wounds and abrasions on its body.

While she could not ascertain how its wounds were inflicted, Dr Toh suggested they could be due to insufficient bedding, and the horse’s inability to remain upright.

There was no water or food within Sharpy’s reach, and no one was tending to it when she arrived, said Dr Toh. It took around four people and several tries to hoist Sharpy up.

When it was brought water and hay, the horse “drank nonstop for two minutes and ate continuously for 20 to 30 minutes”. “I had never seen a horse drink so hard,” said Dr Toh.

During his cross-examination of Dr Toh, Mr Tan suggested that she had only come across Sharpy for the first time on May 15, and was not privy to the care and attention it received before that, which Dr Toh acknowledged.

Sharpy’s history of leg injury and a hip fracture could also have contributed to its condition, Mr Tan told the court.

The trial continues on Thursday, with the prosecution expecting to call upon two veterinarians as witnesses.

Blue Dolphin Gallery, which owns Gallop Stable, is facing a second similar charge involving a five-month old foal that died. Gallop Stable also made headlines last year, when a 73-year-old died after she dismounted from a horse at its Punggol ranch.