Horse 'left to die' is now prize-winning show pony

A neglected equine which was abandoned and "left to die" connected the broadside of a roadworthy successful the Republic of Ireland is present a prize-winning amusement pony.

Woody, past a seven-year-old stallion, was successful precise mediocre wellness erstwhile helium was recovered lying crossed a pavement successful County Tipperary past year.

An eyewitness reported that the young equine collapsed of exhaustion aft being utilized for sulky racing.

A sulky is simply a tiny horse-drawn cart traditionally utilized for transport and recreation, but sulky racing is amerciable connected nationalist roads successful Ireland.

Gardaí (Irish police) were called to assistance the stricken carnal successful Clonmel connected 15 October.

Officers past contacted the County Cork subdivision of the carnal payment charity, My Lovely Horse Rescue.

"I said: ‘Are we going to person a unrecorded equine here?’ recalled unpaid Kelly Mellerick, who co-ordinated Woody's rescue.

"Because it didn’t look good."

"His ribs were visible, helium was precise overmuch lacking successful musculus code and helium was really dehydrated and reasonably exhausted," Ms Mellerick told BBC News NI.

She explained that the malnourished equine was not acceptable for the magnitude of exertion demanded of him by sulky racers.

"The reports to the Gardaí were that the radical progressive had taken their trap and their harness instrumentality and they’d tally disconnected fundamentally and near him there."

Woody was transported backmost to the charity's workplace successful Cork wherever they started a feeding programme successful a bid to caregiver him backmost to health.

"Both of his backmost legs were precise swollen truthful we had to bash a batch of manus walking with him to support him supple and moving," Ms Mellerick added.

The foundation depends connected a web of foster carers to assistance look aft and rehome abandoned horses.

During his recuperation, Woody was introduced to 13-year-old Orianna, who wanted a caller pony.

"I went into the gait and saw him and I thought wow, he’s decidedly the 1 for me," the schoolgirl told BBC News NI.

"He has the kindest eyes and conscionable the quietest nature. He’s a fantastic pony really, and I was grooming him the full time."

Kelsie Montague, who fosters horses for the charity, helped lucifer Woody with his caller proprietor and is present helping the teen to bid him.

"He’s truthful good behaved and him and Orianna person conscionable clicked," Ms Montague said.

"She does everything, from mucking retired stables to grooming, bathing – conscionable mostly spending her days with him."

After months of attraction and attraction from Orianna and his handlers, the equine made a singular recovery.

On 1 of their archetypal outings, Ms Montague said she recovered it hard to support up with Woody's new-found energy.

"He was disconnected similar a rocket, loving being retired connected the roads and nosing successful people's gardens and everything similar that. He perfectly loved it."

Last weekend, Woody and Orianna entered a pony contention astatine the Cork Summer Show, and the brace won 2nd prize successful their category.

Woody was the runner up successful the "In Hand Rescue Pony class" for horses that person been adopted done a rescue centre successful Ireland.

"I didn’t truly expect to travel second, particularly arsenic it was my archetypal amusement and his archetypal amusement and I deliberation we were some benignant of tense astir it," Orianna said.

"But I was thrilled to pieces erstwhile she gave maine the rosette, I was conscionable truthful surprised."

Woody is among hundreds of animals whose lives person been saved by the My Lovely Horse Rescue Charity.

It was founded successful 2011 by sisters Martina and Deborah Kenny and their person Cathy Davey.

The trio of carnal lovers were truthful moved by the show of neglected horses astir Dublin, they decided they would effort to help.

As good arsenic horses, they present look aft pigs, goats, cats, dogs, hedgehogs and different sick oregon abandoned animals crossed their 3 sites.

The sanction of their organisation was inspired by the TV sitcom Father Ted.

In 1 of its astir fashionable episodes, Father Ted writes a opus successful the anticipation it volition beryllium chosen arsenic Ireland's introduction for the Eurovision Song Contest.

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Ted's song, My Lovely Horse, was successful information composed and performed by Northern Ireland vocalist Neil Hannon, frontman of The Divine Comedy popular group.

Hannon is joined to My Lovely Horse Rescue co-founder Cathy Davey and helium is besides a patron of the charity.

"He does a batch of promotional worldly for us," Ms Mellerick explained.

"Him being truthful celebrated successful his ain right, it attracts much radical towards the charity."

And present prize-winner Woody has go thing of a prima too, with the foundation fielding calls from reporters from astir the satellite this week.

After his Cork amusement success, Orianna and her mentor are teaching Woody to leap fences and accidental the grooming is going well.

"He conscionable was an angel from the start, helium conscionable didn’t enactment a ft wrong," Ms Montague said.

"He’s astir apt been the easiest equine to retrain truthful acold that we’ve had due to the fact that helium conscionable has the kindest quality and he’s truly keen to larn and to spell and bash stuff.

"He’s not the benignant of equine that wants to beryllium sat successful a tract conscionable eating grass, helium wants to spell retired and locomotion astir the roads."