A one-eyed abandoned pony who could “barely walk” has been given a “second chance” and a permanent home.
Nelly, a Shetland cross believed to be 16, arrived at Redwings Horse Sanctuary’s Ada Cole visitor centre in Essex on 17 September after being rescued by the RSPCA and a vet from House and Jackson Veterinary Clinic.
Nelly, who only has one eye, was rescued from grassland at Mar Dyke on 31 August after a call from a member of the public. She was discovered to have laminitis and was taken to House and Jackson for treatment and was offered a new home with Redwings after no owner came forward to claim her.
Redwings’ senior field officer Jo Franklin said: “When I first went to visit Nelly at House and Jackson shortly after her rescue, she was in too much pain to move and was so scared that if you touched her she would go rigid and start to shake, showing how long she must have lived without human contact. Her missing eye also looks like it has been professionally removed so she was obviously cared for by someone in the past.
“Being partially sighted and with her feet needing specialist attention, it would be very difficult to find Nelly a home where she could receive all the lifelong care she requires, so we’re delighted to be able to give her a second chance at the sanctuary and provide her with that peaceful and safe forever home she’s been missing.”
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The charity said that while Nelly is still nervous, she has come on “leaps and bounds” since arriving at the sanctuary.
RSPCA inspector Jessica Dayes said: “Poor Nelly was in terrible pain when myself and colleague animal collection officer Joe White were called to help her. We believe she had just been abandoned and it was clear she was in desperate need of urgent veterinary care. She was nervous of being caught, and it took a lot of patience to get near her.
“Nelly is such a sweet girl and responded well to the veterinary treatment, I am so pleased that thanks to the efforts of everyone involved she has now been given a second chance and it’s wonderful that she can now enjoy her retirement in such a wonderful place as Redwings.”
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