Starving Clydesdale horse now happy in his new home after being rescued

A Clydesdale horse, described as a “giant skeleton” and found “starving to death”, has made a full recovery – and been rehomed back to his native country.

World Horse Welfare rescued 15-year-old gelding Seamus when he was discovered in a hillside field with no grass. A spokesman for the charity said he was “so starved that it was touch and go as to whether he would survive”.

Field officer Seema Ritson attended and said when she saw Seamus she was “shocked to see a giant skeleton”, with bare patches of skin.

“I could see he’d had to crane his neck through the fence to reach any morsel of forage, but this was simply not enough to sustain him,” she said.

Seamus was taken to World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm in Lancashire to be nursed back to health.

“Over the course of eight months Seamus slowly recovered and his placid temperament, which persisted despite his previous neglect, meant that he was quickly rehomed when ready,” said the charity’s spokesman.

Seamus found a new home in Scotland.

“Although we are experienced with horses, caring for a Clydesdale has been a learning curve as big as him,” said his rehomer Nikky.

“Transport was a bit tricky due to his size, but we found an experienced transporter of Clydesdales to bring him home. We cannot thank World Horse Welfare enough for giving him a chance of life and entrusting us with his follow-on care.”

Seamus is the face of World Horse Welfare’s latest fundraising appeal.

“Previous donations helped make this rescue possible – so thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Miss Ritson.

“It’s only thanks to donations that we are able to do this, and we desperately need to be there for so many more horses like Seamus. Any amount can be truly life-changing.”

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