A pony rescued from miserable conditions has settled into his new family home.
Trigger was one of a group of ponies found living in a heavily waterlogged field with nothing to eat.
All the ponies were tired, weak, with overgrown feet and in serious need of care.
One of the ponies was in such poor condition that he had to be put down.
Trigger when found
Their owner could not be found, so the RSPCA signed them over to World Horse Welfare in February 2016.
Trigger was castrated and staff at World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm broke him to harness.
Carol Padgett rehomed the 12.1hh coloured pony in January 2017 and said it was “love at first sight”.
Trigger was advertised as a driving pony, but the family decided to try backing him to see if he would take to ridden work.
“He has taken part in our local riding school dressage series ridden by my friend’s 14-year-old daughter,” added Carol.
“Trigger is ridden every weekend by my 10- and six-year-old grandchildren — they are both novice and he looks after then very well [in the arena] and when we hack out to visit local friends.
“Trigger is loving, easy to handle, and he follows me around when I’m working on the land nuzzling my back, he is quite affectionate.
“When I come home from work, as I drive up the lane, I beep my horn and Trigger trots into the yard to meet me — what could be better than that!”
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Carol found the 12-year-old pony after she lost her horse of 23 years in November 2016.
“I had always wanted to rehome so decide to look at the World Horse Welfare website and found Trigger,” she said, adding that his trust in her is “evident”.
“He has now settled and is in a good routine — he has a stable mate, Meggy Moo, a nine-year-old Welsh mare who I also own, and they are developing a good relationship.
“In the beginning he was a little cautious and shy, but this soon disappeared once he became familiar with us.”
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