An elderly one-eyed stallion who arrived in Britain as a “surprise” has landed on his feet and found a new friend with whom to enjoy a happy retirement.
Sophie Spiteri, who retrains racehorses, knew there would be a pony among a batch of horses who came over from Ireland as part of a shipment last year – but the fluffy chap who arrived was far from what she was expecting.
Instead of the 12/13-year-old all-rounder gelding was an elderly traditional gypsy cob.
“He had masses of mane and when I looked underneath all the hair, I realised he only had one eye,” said Sophie, who was in for even more of a surprise when she saw that he was entire.
“I then had a look in his mouth and thought, ‘this horse isn’t 12/13.”
She called an equine dental technician out, who said he was over 25, probably 26 or 27 years old.
Sailor is enjoying gentle walks to the beach with Sophie.
(Image credit: Sian Broderick)
“He is such a gentle soul and such a sweetheart, and we decided we had to keep him,” said Sophie, who has named him “Sailor” in a nod to his journey over the Irish Sea.
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He was gelded and well-wishers donated towards his surgery and care. He is also responding well to treatment for chronic progressive lymphedema, and is happy and comfortable.
Sophie understands that Sailor had lived a fairly solitary life before his trip to Wales, but he now has a companion, having bonded with another equine senior citizen.
“We have buddied him up with a Shetland called Derek and the two are living out and growing old disgracefully together!” she said, adding that she has taken ownership of Sailor and he will live out the rest of his days in happy retirement with his friend.
She added that Sailor’s sight in his remaining eye is also limited, so Derek is proving a real support to him.
“He can still spot a carrot from a mile away, though,” she said.
Sailor has been enjoying gentle walks down to the sea and scrubbed up beautifully to win an in-hand veteran class at a riding club show before Christmas.
“It’s a happy ending,” said Sophie. “He really is no trouble at all. He can now enjoy his retirement and a little potter to the beach every now and then.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
