A rescued foal who has found a new home after extensive veterinary care and rehabilitation has launched World Horse Welfare’s Christmas appeal.
Star was found aged two months in Hertfordshire in August 2013 with deep wounds to his face and head.
His owner had left the headcollar on for so long it had become embedded (pictured below right) into his nose, jaw and the flesh behind his ears.
The vets at World Horse Welfare surgically removed the headcollar and the foal spent
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
a year recovering at one of the charity’s four rescue and rehoming centres, Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset.
Star’s owner, Pascale Musk was prosecuted for animal cruelty offences, fined and given a three-year ban on keeping equines.
World Horse Welfare field officer Nick White (pictured top with Star’s new owner) who was called to Star’s aid alongside the RSPCA said the case was the “worst kind of neglect.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
In September Star found a new home with 22-year-old Charlotte Shepherd who had followed his story in the local press and was the first person to apply for him.
“I just couldn’t believe anyone could do this to an animal, let along a foal. I thought to myself, I can actually give his pony a home – I’ve got the means, the space and the land,” she said.
The yearling has settled in well to his new home with Charlotte’s three other horses and is the focus of World Horse Welfare’s Christmas fundraising appeal ‘Happy Ears.’
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
