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A pony sanctuary in Cheshire has rescued two starving ponies abandoned near the M53 in Ellesmere Port.
Cheshire Police were called out at 6pm on New Year’s Day after reports of two coloured fillies running loose near junction 6 of the M53.
Unable to trace the owners, the police called Horse Sense Wirral, a pony sanctuary based in Saughall Massie, who took the ponies in.
“They had no fat or muscle, their bones were protruding severely and the vet said if they had been left in that condition for another couple of weeks they would have died,” Amy Pirie, chairman of the sanctuary told H&H.
The ponies were named “Blues” and “Toos” by the police, and are mother and
daughter. They are aged three and a half years-old and a year-old.
Blues’ teeth were “like razor blades” and she had ulcerations inside her checks when she arrived at the sanctuary.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The ponies worm burden is so high they are going to have to go to the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital for treatment.
“We had said a couple of months ago we wouldn’t take on any more horses because of finances but we couldn’t walk away. In the seven years we have been going we’ve only had one other case as bad as this,” said Mrs Pirie.
She works full-time to keep the 32 ponies at Horse Sense Wirral but says the cost of Blues and Toos veterinary treatment has put a huge strain on resources.
“We need to raise £3,000 to cover the cost of their vets’ fees,” she said.
Following TV, radio and local press coverage of the ponies’ plight, donations have come in from as far afield as Chicago.
The ponies are expected to take three to six months to fully recover and after that will be considered for rehoming.
“We would like them to go together, if possible,” said Mrs Pirie.
For more information visit www.horsesensewirral.com
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