A filly who was found close to death and tied to an old bike wrapped in barbed wire is “almost unrecognisable”, five months after her rescue.
The skewbald was about 18 months old – but shod – when she was discovered, emaciated and covered in lice, on land in Hertfordshire in February. The report, from a member of the public, described the situation as “tethered yearling, no water, no grass on mud patch, no hay, out in all weather, underweight and very depressed”.
World Horse Welfare field officer Becky Bedson found the filly, who has since been named Pedals, in a “shockingly poor state”.
“She was in a really poor body condition when we found her,” Becky said. “Her hips and spine were protruding, and she was covered in lice. She was actually tethered to an old bike that she was dragging around with her. The rest of the tether was attached to a fence, so she couldn’t drag it all over the field, but it was a significant hazard and potentially could have caused her some really bad injuries.
“Tethering isn’t illegal, but it must be done safely. And to tether a horse to a bike that it was dragging around behind it, where it could really get significant injuries if it got tangled up or stood on it, it’s just not acceptable.”
Pedal was shod on all four feet, suggesting she had been in some form of work, inappropriate at her age.
Attempts to find the filly’s owner were unsuccessful and there was no response to abandonment notices so once a vet and police confirmed her suffering, Pedals was rescued. She was taken to World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre to start her new life, with a new name.
“We always look for a nice name that harks back to the original job,” Becky said. “So we racked our brains for a bike-related name.”
A spokesperson for the charity said the filly’s transformation has been “nothing short of miraculous”, and she is now ready to be rehomed.
“From a severely underweight, lice-infested pony, she has blossomed into a sweet and loving filly, with an incredible temperament and she is now ready to start a new chapter in her life,” she said.
Becky added: “Pedals has completely transformed, she looks completely different. I wouldn’t recognise her if I hadn’t been told who she was, she was in really, really poor body condition. And, to be honest, I think she was close to not surviving.
“The best part of my job is to be able to remove these horses and ponies from these terrible situations and then be able to come and look at them fully recovered, with an amazing prospect of a new home and a great life.”
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