A five-month-old foal was found abandoned among a pile of tyres and old mattresses. The animal, now named Barney, has been taken to a horse sanctuary after being found lying upside down.
The young animal was discovered in a pile of rubble in Essex in December. He was emaciated underneath his thick coat and had pressure sores all over his body, reports NorfolkLive.
The little pony was found by vets and RSPCA officers who began work on saving him. The youngster was then taken to the Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk.
Jo Franklin, Redwings senior field officer and Ada Cole Centre manager, said: “Little Barney was in a very poor state when he was found, and we were worried his might not be a happy ending. He was lying, collapsed and upside down, in a pile of rubble, partially covered by an old mattress. An RSPCA officer and vets from House & Jackson managed to get him on to his feet and warm him up, and I transported him to their Equine Veterinary Hospital where he stayed for two weeks.
"He couldn’t stand unaided and had a significant worm burden which he was treated for. We’re very grateful to House & Jackson for their excellent work with him.”
Barney arrived at Redwings for ongoing care on December 15. Welfare veterinary surgeon Nicola Berryman was tasked with overseeing Barney's care since then.
She said: “Barney was able to stand up and lay down himself by the time he came to us, but he was very quiet and weak. Clinically he was doing better, but he was a very sad, emaciated little pony. He had an infected wound on his left hip which needed surgery to remove the dead tissue and daily dressing changes to protect it.
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"Barney was so skinny and the weather so cold that he had to wear a rug and without dressings the rug could have rubbed on it, so it was important the team carefully cleaned and redressed the wound daily.
“It took several weeks to heal – and an incredibly dedicated effort from the team - with the last dressing finally removed on January 25. The poor boy also had very itchy legs and has been treated for mites. It’s wonderful to see him now – he’s bright and has a character, skipping and bucking around his stable and going out for a daily turnout on the woodchips. He’s doing so well.”
Despite an RSPCA investigation, no owner could be identified, and Barney has been offered a forever home at the sanctuary. Last year Redwings took in 109 horses and ponies, including Barney. Redwings’ field officers identified and intervened in 175 cases in 2022, improving the conditions of 622 horses through advice to owners or the removal of the equine into their care.
