Hope ahead for 2 abandoned horses

Two emaciated horses left to die in a Buckinghamshire field are facing a brighter future, after their companion was put to sleep due to the severity of her condition.

Officers from the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare found 3 bay mares in a large cornfield near to the M25 in Chalfont St Peter last Friday (21 February). All 3 horses were emaciated and in a terrible condition.

One mare was so weak she had collapsed and was unable to stand. She was euthanased.

The 2 surviving horses — named Pollyanna (above) and Penelope — were taken to The Horse Trust’s Home of Rest for Horses in Speen, Buckinghamshire. They are both in a serious condition — one has a bad injury to her hind-leg. They face a long road to recovery, but it is hoped that with expert care and veterinary treatment they will pull through.

The Horse Trust’s chief executive, Jeanette Allen, said: “These mares are very affectionate and have clearly been well-handled, and there are signs that they were cared for in the not-too-distant past.

“The horses have microchips, which should make it easy to detect the owner, but they had not been registered — a problem that we encounter all too often.”

RSPCA inspector Rachel Smith, who was first on the scene with World Horse Welfare’s Nick White, said: “This was a horrific situation. It is awful to think that someone no longer wanted these animals and neglected, then dumped them with no thought for their welfare.”

Anyone with information about the horses or who the owners are should contact the RSPCA in confidence on tel: 0300 123 8018.

To follow Penelope and Pollyanna’s progress, visit The Horse Trust’s website www.horsetrust.org.uk

Martha Terry

H&H features editor

Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on dogs of all shapes and sizes. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs, one a street dog from Gambia who was abandoned at three weeks old. Now, her constant companion, whether by her feet at her desk or walking cross-country courses, is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.