Shetland dies in slurry pit after four escapes and two police chases
A Shetland pony who escaped four times and was pursued by police on two occasions has been put down.
Police received reports from the public at 11.50am on 28 January that he was running free in Newdigate, Surrey.
A further call was received shortly afterwards informing officers that he was in Charlwood.
“Officers were sent to the scene to recover the pony but it was extremely distressed and could not be handled,” a spokesman from Surrey Police told H&H.
“The pony ran off and unfortunately fell into a nearby slurry pit.”
A vet was called and the pony was put down under his advice.
“This was done to prevent him from enduring a distressing death from inhaling the slurry,” added the police spokesman.
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Previous escapes
This was not the first time the pony escaped, as previously reported on horseandhound.co.uk.
The pony first was spotted trotting along the roads in the Crawley area on 24 January (see video, top).
It took Sussex Police two attempts to capture the Shetland.
He was eventually secured using ropes in the garden of a property in Short Close at 2.46pm.
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According to the West Sussex County Times, a local resident volunteered to keep the pony until his owners were found.
The pony reportedly broke through fencing on 26 January and was found and captured at a farm the following afternoon.
He then broke through fencing for a second time on 28 January.
The pony’s owner has not come forward.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.