Horse Cruelty

Sometimes our cruelty cases do not have happy endings and end up very sad !!

Sadly sometimes we are called too late to Horses. Sometimes they are down too long or gone too bad for us to help and we have no choice but to call a vet to put them down and relieve them of their misery.

No animal should be left to suffer or die in this way.

Every animal should have the right to a dignified death!

Below are some with sad endings and some with happy endings!

A lot of our time and energy is put into answering calls on reported Cruelty Cases.

We allow the person reporting to remain anonymous although we do like to have a phone number in case we have trouble finding the location of the animals in question.

We answer reports of cruelty to Dogs, Cats, Horses or Ponies and even Farm Animals.

It is a very hard and often times sad job, but helping the animals in desperate situations can be very rewarding.

We have a good few Cruelty cases on our Cruelty pages but we will WARN you

that some of the pics can be quite GRAPHIC………

WARNING…...

Some of these images can be quite GRAPHIC

Horse Cruelty

The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.

Mahatma Ghandi…..

We done our best to save poor Tailor but he was too far gone to save

Lying down in the field Here he is when we got him standing Just look at the harness scars

His lovely forelock The horrible scarring This is when we cut off his forelock

I got a call on 5th August 2010 about a pony in very bad condition.

We found this pony in a field very weak with a head injury so I called the Guards and a vet but sadly the pony was too weak to move so I went up every day to inject him with antibiotics and pain killers and fed him with ration as he was so weak, but the need arose when we had to move him to my place 4 days later.

The owner signed him over to us and we may yet take him up on cruelty charges.

He had been hit on the top of his head (poll) by something very heavy which caused him great pain, he was suffering from possible meningitis, fractured skull and brain damage and we think that all the fluid around his brain may have seeped out onto his forelock from the spot you can see in the pic opposite.

Just look at this poor mare.

I got a call on 24th June 2010 about this mare in a field from a friend in rescue, so we headed off to have a look at her.

She had very bad Sarcroids that had gone out of control and all we could do was recommend to the owner to Put her down humanly to end her misery.

I am so fed up of all this crap in rescue at the moment that I sometimes feel my heart is not in it anymore.

I believe that the smell of rotting flesh was terrible but my nose is not that good anymore, sometimes it works and thankfully this time it did not work.

At least her suffering is now over and she is now at peace running free at rainbow bridge.

Pic of Sacroids on a mare, she had them on both the inside of her legs and one the size of a football on the outside

Too late to save this Poor Shetland foal

A close up of his fractured poll

We had to remove all his forelock to see what was going on under the hair and found he had awful swelling on his head due to being hit by a heavy object,

This animal had suffered for nearly a week before he got any veterinary care or attention.

We called him Tailor and he was a sweet affectionate creature who we could not help in the end.

Tailor was Put Down today 9th August 2010 as he proceeded to get worse.

Tailor never knew love, tenderness, soft words and affection until he came into our care but he left this world with dignity and a gentle hand on his head as he drew his last breath and he is now in rainbow bridge running like a true free spirit.

I got a call on Wednesday 9th of June 2010 but sadly we were too late to save this poor creature who had been dead for a few days, seems he was left to die in a shed with a stable rug thrown over him.

He was only about 6-8 months old and all ready had shoes on him, poor creature.

Poor Horses

Blossom, just look at her poor body Breeze and she is a poser Look at the difference in their two rumps

We got a call on Monday 14th June 2010 about these two ponies saying that one was in an awful emaciated condition.

We all ready had to do 2 cruelty checks first and then we got to these two, so we had to get out a lovely guard and a nice vet to say that we could move them to the rescue.

We called the 8 year old mare Blossom and she is in a very emaciated condition and was a bit weak but she will get plenty of feed now and lots of supplements to help her to gain weight, we hope to update you on her progress in weeks to come when she should have some nice weight put on.

We called the 2 year old Breeze and she is in good condition and we think that she may be a daughter of Blossom as they seem to be very united and Breeze watches over her Mum and constantly guards her as well.

Poor Blossom still has shoes on which makes us think that she may have been used for riding or trotting up to recently and we are actively seeking out the owner to bring him/her to court for cruelty.

This pair were returned to their owners as they did prove to us that they had bought the emaciated mare for a big amount of money in order to save her which they proved to us and we also looked at their other horse and also to see where these mares were going to be grazing.

We gave them good solid advice which they were willing to accept and gave us written permission to check at any time on the animals in their care, we felt there was no point in putting them through a court of law when they had saved this mare and had a totally different personality to the other mare that came n and also the other animal they had,

They paid all expenses incurred by the rescue of these mares.

So we think that this is a happy ending for both mares.

We will keep you all updated on her progress as we will be keeping a good eye on all 3 animals.

Sometimes we feel that we are better to work with people rather than spend a day in court and to help them with their animals rather than go again them as some people really do not know about the animals they take on.

..and I whispered at the horse;

"Trust no man in whose eye you do not see yourself reflected as an equal"

Don Vincenzo Giobbe circa 1700

I have no comment to make on the above as you can all see the state of this mare and she was only 4 years old, she had had a foal a few days previous that was born dead and she was put down shortly after.

This lovely mare was shot in the head minutes before we got to her, we heard the shot in the distance the blood was fresh and she was still hot, she was on common land and was not Microchipped so therefore we could not trace her owners, imagine the pain she must have been in for weeks with that back leg. We found the area where she has been standing for a couple of weeks which had a lot of dung and blood, we can only presume that maybe she got her leg caught in something and that is how she was injured.

She should have been put down weeks before,

Imagine the pain and suffering she had endured with that leg!

This mare was left to die and was still alive when the pic was taken and was later put down by a vet.

Too late as this horse was dead when I got there, she was in a totally Emaciated state and was starved and seemed to be a aged about 20 years, there is no excuse for this.

This lovely pony was left to die in the bog after it broke it leg and was left there for over a week, see the way it had tried to get up by turning itself around in a circle, she had no food or water and all I could do to help her was to get the Guards and a vet to end her suffering and Put her Down.

She was reported to us by a very concerned member of the public and would have died only for them,

I will not mention names but you know who you are and Babes thanks you from the bottom of her heart as well!

This little pony (she is only 43” high) she was abandoned in the hills and left to die and a local person put her into a field and we were alerted to her condition, so with the help of the Guards and local people and the very kind couple that reported her plight to us she is now in the care of Cottage Rescue!

We do not know who abandoned this lovely little Pony, but she was in quite a bad state, her hair loss is due to two things Rain Scald and Lice, her whole little body was covered in them, she was also badly dehydrated and is having fluids put into her body by a drip and as if that was not enough she is emaciated.

Our Vet had to come out to put her on a drip as she was very dehydrated.

Babes is an old lady of 25 years plus so therefore she has no back teeth and only teeny weenie top front ones and extra long bottom front teeth, so she is on special wet feeds and out grazing, the Farrier will see to her next week to trim her hooves and rasp her teeth to make her more comfortable!

We had to clip her the following morning to remove the remaining hair to help to rid her of all the Lice and then put special lotions on her to ease her skin irritation!

She is now in her Long Term Foster home keeping company with a Retired Mare.

This mare came into us in very bad condition, she had an awful dip in her back and her ribs were sticking out and she was very thin but you cant see this in the pic on account of her winter coat, but here she is a few months later the day she went off to her Long Term Foster Home!

Her owner later surrendered her to us when we had her a few days and was warned not to let any animal get into that condition ever again.

She is now happy in her new home!

This poor pony was chained up to a post and got so tangled up that she could hardly move her head and she was in a very distressed state and there was no evidence of water or food .

See the way the ground is churned up around her as she panicked and tried to free herself and also note the timber on the ground beside her that she tried to gnaw on due to hunger as she was this way for several days!

Owner denied having tied her up, I released her and she was fine weeks later when I checked her again.

The owner of this lovely mare could not understand that she was in a very uncomfortable condition due to an old injury on her hind leg and severe swelling on her front one and did not seem to realise how thin she was and did not know that she was not in a suitable condition to be in foal!

The Bad Eye The good eye

Say hello to Misty

MISTY is a Welsh Pony aged 8 years and she is 11.2” and she came into us on Thursday 13/03/2008 as a result of a Cruelty Complaint from a member of the public that was very concerned about her eye.

She had a horrible injury to her left eye that required surgery. We had our own Horse Vet (Pia) out to see her the day after she came into us to look Misty over...the injury probably happened a while ago and was never treated which caused her eye to start dying off slowly. There isn't much of the eye left now and it is going to require surgery to have the remaining eye removed and the eyelids stitched closed.

She went into the Local Equine Hospital in Fethard and was put under gas to have the rest of the eye removed on 20th March.

We are so glad that MISTY got through the operation and she came home to the rescue the following day and the Hospital staff were very good to her and gave her lots of praise and said that she was a grand little Pony.

We are also thankful to Violet next door who has willing gave us the use of one of her stables for MISTY to recover in because she has a bandage around her head to keep a pressure pad in place over her eye and she had to be kept boxed for 2 weeks.

We had an appeal out to the public to help us fund her operation which would have been very expensive on us here in the Rescue and a very kind young lady stepped in and took care of MISTY’S Hospital Bill and we are very grateful to this kind person who wished to remain ANNONYMOUS…

The 1st one shows an eye pressure bandage and you can see the bandage wrapped around her head but clear of her good eye and in the second pic you can see her eyes all stitched up and Misty is now very happy in her new home in Co Clare keeping company with another rescued mare and is living with people that love here dearly.

We were asked to take in this pony with another by the owner and Willow came into us in this terrible state (shame on her owners)

We only had a Willow a short time before we had to put her down after doing expensive tests which showed up cancer in the end which was the kindest deed we could have done for her.

Rest in peace Willow and I hope you felt you were loved here in the rescue and I really admired your courage and gentle nature and the welcome you have for me each day with a special cuddle.

Run free at the rainbow bridge where youth and health are with you now and you are free of pain, misery and suffering,

You were loved and admired in your last moments!

Babe before she was homed!

Left to die

Dead Horse

Starved Horse

In foal mare

Rehomed mare

Bog pony

Pony Rescued in the nick of time

Poor pony

Poor Willow

Result of a Cruelty Complaint

Rescued Mare

Lame as well as starved

This Mare was dead on our arrival

This horse was kept in a very dirty stable and was very lame but here she is

a couple of months later before she was homed.

Don't Cry For the Horses.

Don't cry for the horses that life has set free a million white horses forever to be.

Don't cry for the horses now in God's hands as they dance and they prance to a heavenly band.

They were ours as a gift but never to keep as they close their eyes forever to sleep.

Their spirits unbound on silver wings they fly, a million white horses against the blue sky.

Look up into heaven you'll see them above, the horses we lost and the horses we loved.

Manes and tails flowing they Gallop through time, they were never yours and they were never mine.

Don't cry for the horses, they will be back someday when our time has come they will show us the way.

On silver wings they will lift us to the warmth of the sun when our life is over and eternity has begun.

We will jump the sun and dance over the moon a ballet of horses and riders on the winds to a heavenly tune.

Do you hear that soft nicker close to your ear?

Don't cry for the horses but love the ones that are here.

Don't cry for the horses, lift up your sad eyes you'll see them as they fly by?

A million white horses free from hunger and pain, their spirits set free until we ride again.

Sore leg

This mare was in great discomfort from this bad cut on her leg, she had got it caught in Barbed wire and her owner never noticed and she was also rearing foal.

She got the medical treatment she needed.

Sore eye

This poor mare was in foal and her hooves were in a bad state and also she had an ulcerated eye.

Poor Horse abandoned tied to a fence

Here is a pic of him when he came into us See the difference in him 6 weeks after rescue

Above you can see the state he was in as he was full of lice and had lots of bald patches, he also had shoes on that were a size too small for him.

Here he is in the field (on left) with his friend a Gelding after his castration, what a good friend he has as he was licking him and keeping him on the move and even brought him up to the water trough.

This poor Horse was abandoned tied to a fence on a quiet road and two nice ladies found him and brought him to us at the end of April 2010,

He has rain scald, bad lice infestation and a belly full of worms and he is also fairly thin which you cant see in the pic because he still had his winter coat on.

WOW you can what a difference in him after 6 weeks good feeding, worm dose and lice treatment.

There is no need what-so-ever to let an animal get into that condition and then dump him on the side of a lonely road with no food or water

He is one of the lucky ones and we changed his name from Romeo to Ronnie after his Castration.. lol.

We called him Ronnie and he has since been rehomed.

Rescue came too late for these Ponies

On 20th April 2010 Rose Bud and Highlander came in with 4 other ponies from a cruelty case with another rescue but sadly these 2 Ponies had to be Put Down here with us soon after coming into us as rescue had come too late for them!

Polly also died giving birth to a lovely health foal and Faith also gave up the fight for life.

Highlander had lost his fight for life and you could see it in his eyes that he had given up, he was only 2 years old, very emaciated which you cant see in the pic due to his winter coat and so weak that he could not even eat a bit of ration and was totally worm bound.

Rose Bud. Highlander . Polly. Faith.

Mare & Foal

Rose Bud had also given up and that look was in her eyes, she had very bad cracks in her hooves that went up into the cornets which can be very sore and painful on a horse, she was also emaciated like Highlander and so very thin and sadly she went into colic and she was also very worm bound and she was also wild as she had never been handled and it stressed her so much to have us catch her, so we had to make a decision on both of them which saddened us very much.

Our mission in Animal Welfare is to ease the suffering of animals, be it to make them better and send them off to good homes or do the kindest thing and say good bye to them and put an end to their suffering.

We got in 6 beautiful creatures 2 of which had 2 foals and yet at the end it all we were only left with 4 animals.

Lets hope there is a Karma out there and their owner will get his dues when his time comes, I wonder will he have a last gentle word whispered in his ear and a gentle touch and somebody even a stranger to say they cared about him?

I hope NOT…………………

Many thanks to Sheena with Armargos Animal Sanctuary for taking on Polly and Faith and ended up with the birth of a foal but sadly the Mare died and also to Cathy with the I.S.P.C.A. for taking on the other Mare and Foal who later gave birth to another Foal.

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Pony abandoned in the bog with growth on his shaft

I got a call in May 2004 about this little pony abandoned I a bog, so I headed off to check him out. God love him he had a huge growth on his shaft and he was not able to pass water properly and he was in great discomfort. So a vet was called to him immediately and he went into an equine hospital a few days later to have the growth removed and the operation was a success and I named him Gizmo.

Gizmo lived quite happy for nearly 5 years and he then had to be put down due to the cancer coming back again but he lived happily with other equines during that time.

We never found out who owned or dumped this lovely little pony in this dreadful state.

Pic taken the day he was rescued Close up of the growth The day he came home after the operation