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Volunteers ‘Shocked’ To See This ‘Dead’ Horse Still Alive Nurse It Back To Health And The Transformation Is Incredible
Interview
No one could ever prepare for the sight the volunteers of the British Horse Society faced upon arriving at a building site in East Durham, England.
It was there where they found Heidi, a pony thought to be dead in the midst of squalor. But after her body was seen breathing, the volunteers realized they’d encountered one of the most severe cases of neglect they’d ever seen and acted immediately.
“The decision was made to give her a chance and it took five people to lift her to her feet,” said the spokesperson of Here 4 Horses Equine Charity.
Heidi’s incredible road to recovery was then documented in a series of videos that prove what a fighter this little girl has been. Let’s take a look at Heidi’s inspiring transformation down below, which is impossible not to shed a tear (or to cry a whole river) for.
More info: Facebook | Youtube | here4horses.org.uk
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After the BHS volunteer arrived at the site, he was horrified to see what he thought was a dead horse
Image credits: here4horses
Image credits: here4horses
In order to find out more about Heidi’s road to recovery and how the girl is doing today, Bored Panda reached out to Wendy Suddes from the charity Here4Horses, based in the North East of England.
Wendy, a horse welfare and education specialist who started the charity, said that Heidi was found in the most appalling condition.
“When rescuers turned up, they met with a knackerman who had been called by the owner to come and collect her body,” she told us and added, “Whether he thought she was already dead is irrelevant—she had been subject to the most awful suffering.”
But the rescue crew made a decision to give the little pony a chance
Image credits: here4horses
Heidi was considered to be critically ill, unable to stand or walk. “The early days were touch and go, as we dealt with her serious weakness and such a low blood protein level that a plasma transfusion was required,” Wendy recounted. It took more than 5 weeks for the pony to be able to stand by herself.
Heidi was placed on a drip for plasma transfusion since her blood test showed she was emaciated
Several liters of blood were donated by healthy horses
During the treatment, the pony had to wear padded dressings and the Here4Horses team “had to be innovative, adapting several pairs of leggings into shorts to help keep her pressure sores from further damage.”
But it was not a steady and easy recovery. Wendy said “Too many sores, worms, parasites, and infections had been given time to take hold and it took months and months to get Heidi well enough to run free in our pastures.” Essentially, Heidi has a feisty character, which the team believes was essential to her recovery.
After the pony got emergency treatment, her long road to recovery started
Wendy said that Heidi was on the extreme side of neglect and cruelty and the Here4Horses team sees cases like this once or twice a year. “Whilst we do see this level of harm and illness all too often, it is plain and simple cruelty or ignorance of horse knowledge and care or how to properly meet their needs.”
The wounds thankfully began to heal
And after a long time, Heidi began to look brighter
Fortunately, Wendy assured us that with the help of the team, Heidi is now “high on life,” soaking it all in as much as she can.
The charity is currently caring for another pony from similar circumstances who is still under a treatment plan. To help their team of committed volunteers to save neglected horses and ponies, visit their website to find out how you can help.
But the improvement continued slowly
And the wounds took time to heal
Image credits: here4horses
Image credits: here4horses
Until Heidi’s hair grew back and she started looking happier
Image credits: here4horses
Image credits: here4horses
After some time, she regained weight
Image credits: Here4Horses
And Heidi’s happy spirit and shiny curls were all over the place!
Image credits: Here4Horses
Image credits: Here4Horses
Having survived the horrific neglect, today the girl is a rosette-winning pony making everyone proud
Image credits: Here4Horses
Image credits: Here4Horses
Watch the full clip of Heidi’s road to recovery
Image credits: Here 4 Horses Equine Charity
And people couldn’t hide their anger towards Heidi’s previous owner in the comments
What do you think ?
hobbitly 5 years ago
Im glad she was found in time. Thank you for the people taking care of her, she looks beautiful now!
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
Just in the nick of time, she was probably lead there to die. I hope the rubbish that owned her gets their butt in the klink.
Load More Replies...
Eglė Bukauskaitė 5 years ago
She's such a beauty, if you cannot afford keeping her why not sell to anyone or giveaway? She literally could have been better raised in the wild than in her home farm... ;(
Cori 5 years ago
Unfortunately (at least here in the US) when you sell or give away a horse, especially for cheap, they are frequently picked up by 'kill buyers' and eventually shipped to slaughter. I have 3 fat, healthy horses. I adore them and they will be with me for life. But if my circumstances should ever change, I would euthanize rather than sell or give them away. It sounds extreme, but in my country, horses are jammed onto crowded trailers. They then take a non stop trip to Canada or Mexico where they're slaughtered. Their last days would be filled with confusion, terror and pain and I simply will not risk it. I know my babies and they would be SO scared. I have an Arabian who's been my friend and partner for 14 years, a second Arabian who is an untrained pasture pet (she's absolutely gorgeous, but spooky as hell) and a previously wild mustang. Not an easy bunch to rehome, to say the least.
Load More Replies...
Kady Maree Mcgrath 5 years ago
My friend loves horses and when I show her this she I going to cry I tell you now it's so sad to see the neglect that the previous owners gave her
charli d'amelio 5 years ago
i cried i love horses pls give your friend a hug for me ❤️
Load More Replies...
Cori 5 years ago
She looks incredible now! My heart aches to think how long she must have been down to get such awful, open wounds. It's not easy to come back from neglect like that. I have a little Arabian gelding who was starved and abused by a previous 'owner'. It took a LONG time before he could maintain a healthy weight. He's always been a (mostly) good boy for me. But he completely freaks out around agressive and assertive men. He threw a shoe on a big trail ride once and I had to use the camp farrier. He was loud and pushy. Pat freaked and became nearly impossible to work with. When he was done, the farrier told me my horse was 'crazy'. I very calmly tied my lead rope like reins and jumped up bareback while maintaining eye contact with the pushy a*****e and rode off on my 'crazy' horse with my head held high. My little horse is an excellent judge of character. He knows a bad egg when he sees one.
Rissie 5 years ago
Most horses are very in tune with their owner and with some sort of abuse in their history, they do not forget. A friend of mine has a beautiful horse and this horse was used for illegal horse racing and imported here and of course sold without making that history known. My friend and her family found pictures online of her racing. She can be very jumpy, but is actually a love bug who is totally relaxed around my friend and especially her daughter. Her daughter even got to sit next to her in the paddock when she was sitting down. Yes, there are pictures :) But if you need to know about someone just bring them to this horse, because she will tell you what you're dealing with ;)
Load More Replies...
Raine Soo 5 years ago
Poor little girl. Those earlier photos were absolutely devastating. I'm very glad that Heidi survived and is now happy and healthy. Thank you to all who helped her on this road to recovery. I also hope that her owners were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I would go hungry before my animals.
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
That poor pony, so confronting to see those photos of her. I am so glad she was found when she was and had the great care she needed and deserved. She looks much happier now and is a very beautiful pony.
Brandy Grote 5 years ago
It can take well over a year of intense, constant care to bring a horse back from the brink. But the results are stunning.
hobbitly 5 years ago
Im glad she was found in time. Thank you for the people taking care of her, she looks beautiful now!
Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago
Just in the nick of time, she was probably lead there to die. I hope the rubbish that owned her gets their butt in the klink.
Load More Replies... Eglė Bukauskaitė 5 years ago
She's such a beauty, if you cannot afford keeping her why not sell to anyone or giveaway? She literally could have been better raised in the wild than in her home farm... ;(
Cori 5 years ago
Unfortunately (at least here in the US) when you sell or give away a horse, especially for cheap, they are frequently picked up by 'kill buyers' and eventually shipped to slaughter. I have 3 fat, healthy horses. I adore them and they will be with me for life. But if my circumstances should ever change, I would euthanize rather than sell or give them away. It sounds extreme, but in my country, horses are jammed onto crowded trailers. They then take a non stop trip to Canada or Mexico where they're slaughtered. Their last days would be filled with confusion, terror and pain and I simply will not risk it. I know my babies and they would be SO scared. I have an Arabian who's been my friend and partner for 14 years, a second Arabian who is an untrained pasture pet (she's absolutely gorgeous, but spooky as hell) and a previously wild mustang. Not an easy bunch to rehome, to say the least.
Load More Replies... Kady Maree Mcgrath 5 years ago
My friend loves horses and when I show her this she I going to cry I tell you now it's so sad to see the neglect that the previous owners gave her
charli d'amelio 5 years ago
i cried i love horses pls give your friend a hug for me ❤️
Load More Replies... Cori 5 years ago
She looks incredible now! My heart aches to think how long she must have been down to get such awful, open wounds. It's not easy to come back from neglect like that. I have a little Arabian gelding who was starved and abused by a previous 'owner'. It took a LONG time before he could maintain a healthy weight. He's always been a (mostly) good boy for me. But he completely freaks out around agressive and assertive men. He threw a shoe on a big trail ride once and I had to use the camp farrier. He was loud and pushy. Pat freaked and became nearly impossible to work with. When he was done, the farrier told me my horse was 'crazy'. I very calmly tied my lead rope like reins and jumped up bareback while maintaining eye contact with the pushy a*****e and rode off on my 'crazy' horse with my head held high. My little horse is an excellent judge of character. He knows a bad egg when he sees one.
Rissie 5 years ago
Most horses are very in tune with their owner and with some sort of abuse in their history, they do not forget. A friend of mine has a beautiful horse and this horse was used for illegal horse racing and imported here and of course sold without making that history known. My friend and her family found pictures online of her racing. She can be very jumpy, but is actually a love bug who is totally relaxed around my friend and especially her daughter. Her daughter even got to sit next to her in the paddock when she was sitting down. Yes, there are pictures :) But if you need to know about someone just bring them to this horse, because she will tell you what you're dealing with ;)
Load More Replies... Raine Soo 5 years ago
Poor little girl. Those earlier photos were absolutely devastating. I'm very glad that Heidi survived and is now happy and healthy. Thank you to all who helped her on this road to recovery. I also hope that her owners were prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I would go hungry before my animals.
Foxxy (The Original) 5 years ago
That poor pony, so confronting to see those photos of her. I am so glad she was found when she was and had the great care she needed and deserved. She looks much happier now and is a very beautiful pony.
Brandy Grote 5 years ago
It can take well over a year of intense, constant care to bring a horse back from the brink. But the results are stunning.
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