Two horses have been found “on the brink of death” at a beauty spot, forcing the RSPCA to appeal for information.
A coloured filly and a grey gelding were found on May Hill Common in Gloucestershire on 16 July.
Two RSPCA inspectors were called to the site, near Huntley, and were told by members of the public that the pair had been dumped there.
Suzi Smith, one of the inspectors that attended, said her “heart sank” when she saw the dire condition of the horses – especially the filly.
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“The poor girl was filthy and weak and looked like she was on the verge of collapse,” she said.
“She was a bag of bones, her coat was alive with lice and flies were literally crawling all over her, it was horrific.”
The inspectors had a struggle to catch the filly and to load her into the trailer as she did not seem to be used to being handled.
“She buckled three times while we were doing this and I started to fear the worst but she somehow managed to get up in the end,” Ms Smith added.
“Thankfully in this case the future is going to be so much brighter for this pair — they were on the brink of death and had a lucky escape.”
Both horses were taken to a horse sanctuary in Herefordshire for specialist veterinary treatment and have settled in well to their new home.
“We do not know how they got here or why someone chose to leave them here to die but abandoning any animal in this cruel manner is a serious offence against the Animal Welfare Act,” said Ms Smith.
“We take incidents like this extremely seriously and those caught and found guilty can face a large fine and up to six months in prison.”
Anyone with any information is urged to call: 0300 1238018.
