The owner of a miniature Shetland pony is appealing for shooters to take care, after her pony lost an eye after being shot earlier this week.
Carla Ruberry’s miniature Shetland Marty was the field found with an injured eye at around 9am on Tuesday (30 September).
The incident had happened overnight, and Carla suspects it was rabbit hunters, rather than anything sinister.
“It was terrible,” Carla, from near Falmouth in Cornwall, told H&H.
“He’d been shot in the eye with an air rifle, the eye was so damaged it had to be removed. It was very upsetting.
“The shot went straight through his head — there was a wound and a burn where the pellet had come out the other side. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse.”
The two and a half-year-old stallion was being aimed at some show classes with Carla’s niece Tilly.
“He obviously can’t do that any more,” added Carla. “It’s such a shame.
“I’m not against shooting but people need to be careful — someone was obviously rabbiting. We’ve never had issues with shooting in surrounding fields before. We just want people to be aware of the dangers.”
Carla told H&H Marty is recovering well and is back to his “cheeky self”.
“He’s a stallion so he has a lot of character,” she added. “He’s a little confused as to why he can hear things from his left side but not see them so will take time but he will adjust but he’s adapting.”
Carla told H&H she called the police, who have been making enquiries in the area.
