An RSPCA handout still of Mist, a horse which was neglected at Dawn Rose's farm in North Wales.

A stud farm owner from the Shropshire border was spared an immediate jail sentence after admitting one of the worst cases of neglect the RSPCA said it had ever seen.

The conditions at Dawn Rose’s farm near Chirk were so horrific, 69 horses were removed and three died. A chestnut called Mist stunned inspectors and vets who said she was the most emaciated horse they had ever seen dead or alive.

At Mold Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Rose, 49, was given a three-month sentence suspended for 12 months and banned for 10 years from keeping or being involved with horses. She was also ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and contribute £250 to costs.

She admitted six counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

Mr Glen Murphy, prosecuting, said when RSPCA officers attended Rose’s farm in Pen Y Gelli, Pontfadog, they were stunned by the conditions having already issued advice notices which Rose ignored.

He said: “Perhaps the worst example was a horse called Mist. The animal was described by Inspector Chris Dunbar as the thinnest horse he had ever seen and the vet David Martin was amazed it ever managed to stay on its feet.

“He said it was the thinnest horse he had ever seen alive or dead in 11 years.”

The court was shown a DVD of conditions on the farm. Thin horses and ponies roamed in rancid paddocks, standing in their own excrement while foraging for scraps of food.

A grey horse called Owen had to be put down because he was so poorly and two others died when they were removed to the RSPCA’s sanctuary at Gonsal Farm, Shrewsbury.

The mother-of-one told investigators she could not afford to care for the animals and agreed to hand them over.

Mr Murphy said: “By taking on so many animals she was physically and financially unable to cope with the demands.”

Mr James Bagby, for Rose, said she suffered from depression and anxiety.

“She tried to do everything she could” for the horses, he said.

Following the hearing, Inspector Dunbar said: “It’s a fair sentence under the circumstances but the disqualification order could have been for life.

“A frustrating aspect is we tried to give her advice through improvement notices but she didn’t adhere to it.”

He added: “Without the expert care of our livery staff a large number of the horses would have died.”