A WOMAN who has written books on equine care has appeared in court charged with the neglect of four horses.

Lesley Skipper, 61, and her husband, Brian, 56, each deny four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the horses by failing to seek veterinary care, and two charges of failing to ensure the welfare of the animals, which they kept at stables in Sadberge Lane, Middleton St George, near Darlington.

Their trial at Darlington Magistrates’ Court was restarted yesterday after it was adjourned in February so the pair could undergo medical treatment.

The court heard that Mr and Mrs Skipper, of Durham Road, Stockton, are being prosecuted by the RSPCA after an inspector visited their stables last year and found that four of the 11 horses on the site were suffering from severe dental and hoof problems.

Three were put down, while the other is in RSPCA care.

RSPCA inspector Garry Palmer, who visited the stables on June 14, last year, said two of the stables were piled so high with old bedding the horses’ heads were nearly touching the ceiling.

He said: “There must have been a foot-and-a-half of dirty bedding.”

Insp Palmer also said when he arrived at the stables, Mr Skipper was trying to trim the overgrown hooves of a horse.

He added: “He was trimming its hoof, but he was struggling to hold the horse. I had some concerns, so asked them to stop for a while.”

The court was shown video footage of a post-mortem examination carried out on one of the horses that had severe dental problems, including missing, loose and overgrown teeth.

Vet Malcolm Whitehead, who carried out the examination, said: “The horse was extremely thin. The ability to chew was severely reduced, as a result of which, any food that is swallowed isn’t going to be effectively broken down.”

When asked by Kevin Campbell, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, whether the loss of weight was linked to the dental problems, he said: “The poor dentition, I am in no doubt, was a very significant component, if not the only component, to this poor body condition. Without a doubt, the horse suffered.”

The trial continues.