Heroes who helped Frodo gallop back from the brink
Neglected and starving, this pony was hours from death. What happened next will lift your heart — and restore your faith in humanity
FROLICKING in his field, glossy mane flying and eyes sparkling, it’s almost impossible to imagine that Frodo was once an abandoned, emaciated pile of bones, hours from death.
Four years ago, when he was a four-monthold foal, little Frodo was found in a mouldy pile of hay in a frozen field by the side of a Cheshire motorway, following a tip-off from a passer-by.
A field officer from World Horse Welfare, which runs four rescue farms all completely funded by donations from the public, rushed him to the charity’s Penny Farm, in Blackpool, where a dedicated team nursed him back to health.
Now just eight weeks after learning to carry a rider, Frodo, a black-and-white cob, has been crowned ‘Rescue Pony of the Year’ at the national horse festival Equifest. It’s a staggering achievement, considering his horrific start in life — and testament to the expertise, love and tenacity of the team of ‘pony whisperers’ who refused to give up on him . . .
RESCUER WHO SENSED FRODO WAS A FIGHTER RACHEL ANDREWS, 40, is a field officer for World Horse Welfare. She says:
THE first I knew about Frodo was when a member of the public rang our welfare line in October 2014 after spotting him in a field at the side of a motorway. Knowing a bit about horses, she could tell he didn’t look right.
It’s incredibly lucky she did. When I drove to investigate, he was one of the most urgent cases I’ve seen. He had collapsed, was halffrozen and so shockingly thin he looked almost like a carcass. Lice were crawling all over him.
Horribly, in many cases when we find a pony in this state, they just give up. The spark goes from their eyes and you can tell they’ve lost interest in the world. But Frodo was different.
Once I had got him to stand, he really wanted to stay up; and when I offered him a bit of hay, he tried to eat it. He was so little, yet had a real fighting spirit.
For that reason, I named him Frodo, after the feisty character in Lord Of The Rings, and the area, Frodsham, where he’d been found.
The scrap of land he was on was being used illegally, and with no way of tracking down his owner I phoned the RSPCA, which has the power to seize neglected animals. I then phoned our vet, Suzanne, and Penny Farm, to collect him.
VET WHO REFUSED TO PUT HIM TO SLEEP SUZANNE GREEN, 36, is Frodo’s local vet. She says:
FRODO was hours from death when Rachel found him. Sadly, normally when we find a pony in that state, we have to take the difficult decision to put it to sleep — it’s kinder to end its suffering.
But for some reason, I got a feeling about this little one. Frodo just looked like he wanted to live. He walked to the horse box and stayed standing all the way to the farm.
Once there, I could see he was anaemic, dehydrated, malnourished and had a bad case of worms, so I put him on a fluid drip. Those first few days, he was so weak, he collapsed at least five times. I was twice called out to euthanise him, but each time he’d suddenly jump up or start eating, and I’d give him another 12 hours.
The staff at the farm fed him up, treated his lice, sorted his overgrown hooves, and gradually I was called out less. Now my only visits to see Frodo are routine ones.
Even though I see this kind of thing all the time, it never ceases to appal me how cruel humans can be. But seeing Frodo going from a skeleton to the handsome, friendly, sweet pony he is today makes everything worthwhile. Frodo never gave up fighting for life, so we never gave up on him.
BOSS WHO WILLED HIM TO RECOVER FRAN WiLLiAmSoN, 61, is the manager of Penny Farm. She says:
IN JANuARY, once Frodo was well enough to start going outside for some sunshine and grass (we call it ‘Doctor Green’), it was lovely to see him having a little trot about in the field with his winter rug on, munching away on the grass and looking really happy.
It was very different when he first arrived. We’re a small team of nine at Penny Farm, all with lots of experience and guided by a vet, and we take in 60 to 80 horses a year, so we have to be realistic about an animal’s future.
His mother was nowhere to be found in the field where he’d been abandoned, and without her milk he was so poorly he probably wasn’t aware of his surroundings.
Horses can get depressed just like humans. Frodo was very quiet, with sad, sunken eyes.
Despite all this, we could see he had fight in him. Our team worked hard, staying late or coming in early, on their days off or during the night to give him the best care we could. Frodo’s transformation has been astonishing — now he’s so laid-back he takes it all in his stride; even being named rescue pony of the year!
Our ultimate aim here is to rehome, but many people either don’t want or don’t consider rescue centres when they’re looking to buy a new pony, so we’re thrilled Frodo is getting the recognition he deserves. We know a family is out there somewhere for him.
NUTRITIONIST WHO FED HIM UP HAyLEy PENRiCE, 30, is the yard supervisor. She says:
WHEN we collected Frodo we estimated he hadn’t eaten for well
over a week. It was important not to overload his system too quickly — it could have killed him — so we had to give him small meals every few hours.
Some ponies won’t touch their food, or fight back when you give them injections, but Frodo seemed to want our help.
He had no muscle on his body, so he needed a vitamin and protein supplement to gradually build up his strength. At only four months old, his teeth hadn’t come through yet, so we gave him powdered milk for calcium with a syringe into his mouth, and sloppy rather than solid feed.
Now he loves eating. As a cob — a sturdy breed of pony — Frodo is rather greedy and prone to weight gain, so now he’s actually on a restricted diet.
Hay is like chocolate to horses — we can’t just give Frodo huge bundles of it or he’d eat the lot. Instead, he has some hay during the day with oil to help keep his coat glossy; and grass overnight in the field.
He also has vitamin and mineral supplement pellets.
Frodo has hit all his growth milestones and now stands at about 13.2 hands tall (around 4ft 5in).
Not all ponies make it out the other side, so I’m absolutely thrilled and proud of what he has achieved.
TRAINER WORKING ON HIS FITNESS Katie Grimshaw, 21, is a groom at Penny Farm. she says:
I FIrSt started working with Frodo on his fitness about 12 weeks ago, when he was preparing to be backed (learning how to take a seated rider).
He was a little overweight and his legs were weak, so I needed to build up his muscles before he was ready to take the weight of a person on his back.
the best way to do it is hill work — leading him up and then down the steep hills on the farm. Just as a human would ease themselves in when doing exercise for the first time, so I started slowly with Frodo. He didn’t complain, bless him, but he did get a bit out of puff.
We’d walk up and down four times, twice a day for around ten minutes or so; building this up to ten times twice a day. It’s good for him; and as for me, I never need to go to the gym!
Frodo also does a lot of one-toone work in the farm’s riding school, learning to walk over blocks or poles laid on the floor.
this helps his rhythm and balance as well as strengthening his legs, as he has to pick them up a little bit higher than normal.
He also goes for walks around the farm on different terrains, such as soft grass and the hard surface of the car park.
While he’s making incredible progress, he’s not properly fit yet, so over the next few months we’ll work on making him even stronger; going for longer rides and getting his heart rate up.
things like going to horse shows will also get him used to new sights and sounds, preparing him for life outside the farm.
Luckily, he just takes to everything like a natural.
GROOM WHO RODE HIM TO VICTORY NicoLLe waLmsLey, 28, is the senior groom at Penny Farm. she says:
tHe FIrSt time I sat on Frodo was an incredibly emotional moment. It can be very tricky with some ponies, but Frodo accepted me immediately. He trusts whatever I ask him to do, which is amazing when you consider what he’s been through.
He’s cuddly, loves being groomed and genuinely seems to enjoy human company. While some horses stand at the back of their stables and sleep, Frodo likes to stick his head over the door and be sociable. We have lots of conversations!
every pony here is assigned a personal groom, and I was really pleased to get Frodo.
We started working together four months ago and I couldn’t believe he was the same pony who’d arrived at the farm at death’s door. My first job was to decide whether he was suitable to be a riding pony — not all horses are. But Frodo is so laidback, we decided he could cope with anything.
Breaking a pony in (teaching them to be ridden) is a gradual process. You start by getting them used to a bridle, and use long reins to teach commands such as turning and stopping.
After a while, I started leaning over Frodo and putting my weight on the saddle but with my legs dangling in case of problems. there weren’t any, though — Frodo is such a trier and really wants to please.
As Frodo improved, I rode him twice a day. We’d walk round the farm, go for hacks and have fun cantering in the fields.
equifest — the national horse festival that was held last month — was a big test. It’s so noisy and hectic, full of sights and sounds he hadn’t encountered before. But none of it bothered him. We entered and won a couple of classes, showing off his skills while the commentator read his story to the crowds.
then it was time for the big finale in a packed arena. there was music, lights, clapping and cheering . . . but he was fine. You’d never have believed it was only the third time he’d been off the farm, and had been ridden for only eight weeks.
He was so phenomenal that when his name was called as ‘rescue Horse of the Year’, I cried.
Doing this job, it’s easy to get attached to ponies and I’ll be sad when Frodo is rehomed. However, I’ll also be incredibly happy, knowing that he’s going to give someone as much joy as he’s given to me.