From abuse and starvation to a reining champ!
ABANDONED in a spot known as ‘the Field of Death’, the lice-ridden foal was found by his rescuers to have a deep fear of humans.
Now, thanks to a remarkable rescuer, the skewbald gelding – once known only as AK2, the identification tag spraypainted on his dirty body – is on his way to becoming a national dressage champion.
The transformation is down to Kent teaching assistant Jo Hunn, 46, who ‘took pity’ on the traumatised pony after he was recovered from a notorious dumping spot in the county eight years ago.
Renaming him Storm, she hoped that she might be able to ride him one day. And after a surprising win in a low-key dressage competition with the Rother Valley Riding Club, the pair have since entered the South East Unaffiliated Dressage Championships at Hickstead, and now dream of winning national competitions.
‘I never thought I would get to Hickstead – not in a million years. Especially not on a rescue horse,’ said Mrs Hunn.
Found by the RSPCA when he was just a year old, Storm had to spend 12 months in a local shelter for his physical condition to stabilise before Mrs Hunn came to the rescue.
Excited about their prospects of sporting success, she added: ‘Storm is nine – and he won’t hit his real peak, the golden age, until he is 12. I hope we could now see him win at regional level, if not national level.
‘It is a privilege to have him.’