A young pony who was abandoned and left to wander the streets in Bedfordshire with no food, water or shelter has made an amazing recovery since being rescued by World Horse Welfare, and is now the focus of the charity’s Christmas appeal.
World Horse Welfare Field Officer Chris Shaw first met Colin in early 2018 when a caller rang the charity’s welfare line to report concerns for horses which kept straying onto the roads in the Potton area. Chris visited the location to find Colin in poor condition and although enquiries were made, it was impossible to find an owner. Chris revisited again a few weeks later and Colin’s condition had deteriorated, plus he was wandering loose and had been causing problems on the busy roads. Chris said:
“On my most recent visit, Colin was alone with no equine companion and appeared to have no one to care for him, instead just left to his own devices. He was underweight and suffering from a lice infestation, plus he wasn’t being kept in an enclosed space so was at real risk of injuring himself or causing an accident. I was told that he had learnt the finishing times of the local school and so would take himself down to wait at the gates each day in the hope of finding food.
“He’d also apparently worked out where other horses were kept in the local area and would go to stand next to them – probably for companionship and more than likely to try and share their forage. Colin’s hooves were also splitting as they had not been trimmed and given that no owner could be found, we worked with the local council to have Colin signed over into our care.
“When the lorry arrived to transport Colin to safety, it was like he knew exactly what was happening and practically trotted into the horsebox. Since being in the care of World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm he has thrived and made great friends with a number of other youngsters on the farm.
“Colin was in such a sorry state when we found him so it’s really heartwarming to see him looking so healthy, happy and full of life now – living exactly as a young pony like him should be!
“Seeing horses transformed in the way that Colin has been is what makes my job so worthwhile and keeps me going every day. There are so many horses just like Colin who need our help both at Christmas and all year round so I’d ask anyone who is able to spare a few pounds to donate to World Horse Welfare’s Christmas appeal and enable us to change the lives of even more horses and ponies.”
To help horses like Colin this Christmas click here
