A yearling who was repeatedly beaten with a pole to “teach her a lesson” in front of shocked witnesses is now “being a horse” in a loving home, and helping children develop life skills.
The pony, now named Bramble, was rescued by the RSPCA in 2020, after her owner was filmed beating her in a supermarket car park.
“Poor Bramble was hit violently by her owner more than a dozen times to ‘teach her a lesson’,” an RSPCA spokesman said. “The mobile phone footage played in court showed the man hitting her hard at least 15 times with a blue plastic pole. Each blow is heard on the footage and the man is heard saying: ‘It’s gotta learn’.
“RSPCA inspector Will Lamping investigated the footage and rescued Bramble, a yearling filly, from an address in Lancashire. Sadly, the pony was found underweight with prominent shoulders, backbones and ribs all clearly visible.
“She was also kept in a stable littered with horse faeces and plastic bags and there was ivy – which is poisonous to horses – growing at the back. She had no clean area or bedding to stand on or feed available and was seen chewing wood which often suggests horses are not receiving adequate nutrition.”
Bramble’s owner was prosecuted, and she was rehabilitated by the RSPCA and rehomed as part of the Second Chance initiative. This joint venture between the RSPCA and the British Horse Society (BHS) rehomes rescued horses and ponies to BHS-approved centres via the BHS Changing Lives Through Horses scheme.
Bramble now lives at Queen Mary’s School in North Yorkshire.
The school’s equestrian manager Alice Clennan said: “Bramble has settled into her new home. She is thriving in her new setting and is loved by all the pupils at Queen Mary’s Equestrian Centre. It is wonderful to be able to provide this opportunity.”
The RSPCA is highlighting this case as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign. Its latest figures show the charity had a 22% increase in reports of beatings in 2022 – 9,658, compared to 7,857 in 2021.
Mr Lamping said: “I am delighted to see that Bramble is now enjoying the life she deserves. The video footage of the beating was shocking but thankfully this incident was reported to us and we were able to rescue her.
“It is great to see her running around a field enjoying being a horse and it is fantastic that she is now able to help teach children not only riding skills, but also the importance of animal welfare.”
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