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A badly wounded pony found tied to railings on a housing estate in Ireland had to be put down due to the severity of the injury.
The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) received reports of the injured animal on the Tallaght estate in Kiltalown, Dublin on 20 October.
Officers visited the site and found the piebald mare had a severe open wound to her stomach and had lost a “significant” amount of blood.
The DSPCA reported that the wound was so deep that it had punctured the pony’s lung.
Unfortunately, they were forced to put her down as her injuries were too severe and there was “no way she would have survived”.
The mare had been tethered to railings above a stone wall.
“It’s impossible to be sure what caused these injuries, they could have been caused by the pony hopping over railings, but we can’t rule out that the wound was inflicted,” said a spokesman for the DSPCA.
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“According to some residents, the pony appeared on the road at around 1am but its injury wasn’t noticed until the following morning.
“We’re unsure if she was wounded when she first appeared on the road or if it happened in the hours that followed.
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“This all started with somebody buying this pony for a minimal price and sadly her story ends here on a housing estate, severely injured.
“It’s shameful.”
The Gardai have confirmed that a full investigation into the incident has been launched.
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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.