Passer-by finds dead foal in ditch

The body of a piebald foal has been found dumped in a ditch in Essex. A passer-by discovered the young horse in a field at the entrance of a field in Woodham Ferrers last Tuesday (22 April) and reported it to the RSPCA.

There were no obvious signs to indicate how the foal may have died, nor any clues to track down the owner.

“It was a very distressing discovery for the member of the public who came upon this poor young horse,” said RSPCA inspector Steve Craddock. “We have no way of knowing where this foal came from, or how he died. It concerns us greatly about the sort of welfare issues that could have caused such a premature death.”

The RSPCA is appealing for information. Tel: 0300 123 8018.

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.