From the brink of death to fields of joy

When one of our Inspectors received a distressed call from a member of the public about two seemingly neglected ponies in a rural paddock, they went straight to investigate and were shocked at what they found.

It was a heart-breaking sight. Standing before them were two emaciated ponies, the bony frames covered in painful rain scold. Their hooves were overgrown, and they had no access whatsoever to food. From their condition, it was clear they had been in this dire situation for a long time.

Of the pair, the chestnut mare was by far in the worst condition Despite that, she surprised our Inspector team with her trusting and friendly nature right from the moment they met her. She did become reluctant to walk into the horse float and tried every trick in the book to avoid it! She had a sweet but strong-willed nature and clearly wanted to do things on her terms, hence being affectionately named Spice by our Inspectors.

Spice went straight to an experienced foster home where she could get the hands-on care she desperately needed. She received vet treatment for her raw, scalded skin, and was put onto a special feeding regime to help her gain much-needed weight.

Despite Spice – and her companion, who was fondly named Sugar – now being in safe hands, she was still very poorly and our team were devastated when she came down with a bout of colic. She was not in a good way, but thanks to round the clock care and treatment from our incredible vet team and foster, Spice eventually pulled through.

It took over three months for Spice to build up her strength, confidence and fully recover. Despite all she had endured, she was always so affectionate and seemed to be incredibly grateful. Her personality shone through brighter each day and her feisty determination was key in her recovery. This fighter was never going to give up and neither were we!

During the girls’ time in foster care, our Inspectors worked hard to try and locate an owner, but their attempts were unsuccessful. It seemed that these poor ponies had just been dumped, and despite our best efforts, there was no one to hold responsible for their abandonment.

After nurturing Spice back to full health, her foster carer had absolutely fallen in love with her. When the time came for Spice’s adoption, she couldn’t bear the thought of saying goodbye, so she made the decision to adopt Spice herself! Now renamed Keaver, she has solidified her position as a very precious member of this family, which includes a herd with four others she loves to live amongst! Keaver has fallen in love with one of the geldings and is always by his side, even sharing the same pile of hay!

Due to her gentle, beautiful nature, Keaver’s family thought she would be fabulous working at the riding school and with children in therapy programmes. She is already using her wonderful personality to help others gain confidence and go on to flourish – just like she did.

And just when you thought this story couldn’t get any sweeter, it does! Sugar, the other pony found abandoned with her, also made a full recovery and was adopted by one of the vets who fell in love while caring for her! These two girls seemingly charmed everyone they met – they're a special pair.

After the horrific suffering they endured, Sugar and Spice are testament to how brave, resilient and forgiving ponies can be. We are absolutely delighted they both have the happy ending and loving new homes they so deserve.