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Miniature Shetland pony pays granddad a surprise visit

Becky Murray Becky Murray

    • The owner of a miniature Shetland pony has videoed the moment she took him to visit her sick granddad at home.

    Sophie West from Essex took Rodney, a six-month-old palomino colt, for a surprise visit to her granddad in his living room on Sunday (6 January).

    NB: Please wait while the video loads below… if the video does not appear, click here to watch.

    Sophie, who runs a horse transport company with her partner, told H&H: “My granddad has been poorly for a while and is unable to leave his house. He had had been asking for a while to see him and my nan is getting her cream carpet replaced and said it was fine for him to visit so we just popped him in one of our boxes and took him to the house to surprise him.

    “Ever since I was four years old my granddad used to walk me to my riding lessons and watch me ride. He loves watching and coming down to shows.”

    Sophie said Rodney took the visit “very well”.

    “We’ve only had him a few months. I bought him for my other half, we’ve been doing horse transport for a few years and he’s obsessed with Shetland ponies,” she said.

    “Rodney is cheeky and he’s stubborn but he was very good, until he tried to eat my nan’s plant pot and pulled it over.

    “We popped him in the garden after and got some photos of him.”

    Sophie who hopes to use Rodney for breeding in the future, plans to take him back for more visits.

    “My granddad was over the moon to meet Rodney, he hasn’t stopped talking about it. He’s been asking all day if we can take him back again. He likes the thought of sitting in his chair and watching the pony in the garden so I said I’ll bring him up and he can eat some of their grass,” she said.

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    Becky Murray
    Becky Murray

    H&H senior news writer
    Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
    Becky Murray

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