RESCUE UPDATE
Ever wondered what happens to the rescued horses and ponies you read about in the news? Wonder no more…
DUMPED IN A HOLE and left to die, Annie was only days old when the RSPCA got a call from a pair of walkers in May 2015. She’d been cruelly pushed into a hole in the ground in a field and was left unable to escape. Her mother was also nowhere to be seen. The walkers alerted the RSPCA who rushed to the scene to rescue the little foal. They transported Annie to Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham, Surrey, for urgent care, where she was hand-reared by centre manager Susannah Walters and her team. Sadly, the RSPCA never discovered who was responsible for dumping Annie and her mother was never found. But this spring Annie found her forever home with Danielle Edge, from Bedfordshire, and her family. “We couldn’t be happier with Annie, she is a super little pony and my children, Abigail and Kyle, adore her,” said Danielle. “I’d wanted to rehome a rescue pony for some time and when I saw Annie on the RSPCA’s Find A Pet search online, I thought she looked ideal. Once I’d had the chance to meet her at Millbrook, I knew she was perfect.” Danielle took Annie home in early April this year and she’s joined the family’s other ponies, Shetlands Tara and Bobby, Exmoor Pony Kerria and Connemara Lily. “Annie is 14.1hh but, as she’s only two, she still has more growing to do – she’ll be an ideal height for me and the children when they’re a bit older. We’ll do whatever Annie enjoys doing, whether it’s hacking, a bit of jumping or showing. I’m just glad I could offer her a loving home after such horrid start in life.” RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre manager Sue Walters said: “It’s wonderful for us to see all of our rescued animals find a new home but Annie has always been very special to us. I remember the day I was shown the photograph of her in the ground, I was absolutely horrified. “We rescue and rehome hundreds of horses every year and that feeling of seeing an animal flourish never fades.” Danielle hopes to take Annie to visit Equifest at Peterborough Arena in August this year, where the specialist Rescue Horse & Pony Championship is held. To support the work of the RSPCA and help the charity continue to rescue animals, visit www.rspca.org.uk online.