Gallop Stable loses appeal against animal cruelty conviction

SINGAPORE — The High Court on Friday (April 20) dismissed horse-riding provider Gallop Stable’s appeal against its conviction for animal cruelty, for which it was fined S$9,000 last May.

Justice Chan Seng Onn upheld the lower court’s finding that one of its horses, Sharpy, had been suffering for at least a few days before being discovered by an Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) vet on May 15, 2013.

The chestnut thoroughbred mare was found lying on the ground with an extensive wound on its leg and an ulcer in its eyes on an unscheduled visit.

Gallop Stable’s lawyer Simon Tan argued that Sharpy’s condition only took a sharp turn for the worse on the day of AVA’s inspection. Before that, it was able to walk and eat normally.

Stablehand Maneesha Shanker, the daughter of Gallop Stable’s owners, had called for a vet before the AVA arrived, he stressed.

The lawyer said Sharpy, a 17-year-old retired racehorse, had already been diagnosed with a condition called lymphangitis, which caused its right hind leg to swell, before it was brought to Singapore from Malaysia. It was the stable’s attendants’ understanding that the swelling could be alleviated by walking the horse.

In reality, however, Sharpy had developed cellulitis, a serious bacterial infection of tissues beneath the skin.

Following the discovery, Mr Tan said vets had initially recommended euthanasia as the best means of minimising its suffering. But Gallop Stable chose to spend S$16,000 to treat Sharpy, which has since recovered and continues to be housed at the stable.

Mr Tan added that the stable had “saved” 85 retired horses including Sharpy, which was reared in Malaysia. “When they first set up the stable, it was to give horses that were supposed to be given the lethal injection a lease of life,” he said.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Lee Zu Zhao noted Ms Maneesha had said in a statement that she had noticed a “bubbly appearance” and “skin peeling” on Sharpy’s leg before May 15, 2013, but did not urgently summon a vet.

“This is a case where all the expert evidence consistently pointed to Sharpy having developed symptoms consistent with cellulitis at least four days prior to 15 May, 2013, and late medical intervention resulted in necrosis (or rotting) developing,” he said.

According to the experts, Sharpy should have encountered symptoms such as lameness, pain and fever for several days before the wound opened up.

DPP Lee added that the appellant’s witnesses only served to reinforce the conclusion that Gallop Stable “had badly managed Sharpy’s situation, performing far below the standard expected from a seasoned industry player specialising in the care of horses”.

Gallop Stable manages between 120 and 150 horses across two stables in Singapore.

Despite Sharpy’s recovery, DPP Lee said: “She remains permanently scarred, and has yet to recover full use of her right rear leg more than three years after the incident.”