A young pony who was found at the brink of death has made a remarkable recovery and is thriving in his new home in Oxfordshire.
Ronnie, who is believed to be just two or three years old, was rescued from Cranford Park in Hillingdon last March by Hillingdon Council who then sought help from the RSPCA. The RSPCA took him to their RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham, Surrey for care and treatment.
It is believed that Ronnie, a Hackney possible Dartmoor cross cob breed who stands at around 12hh, had been used as a driving pony and then abandoned when he was too weak to carry on.
“When we first saw Ronnie we were all so shocked at how emaciated he was – his body score was 0.5 and he was all bones – there was nothing of him,” said Charlotte Neary, yard supervisor at Millbrook.
“The whole picture was quite shocking. Not only was he so young and underweight, but he’d obviously been expected to work as well and then, when he couldn’t, he’d been dumped.”
A gentleman
“Ronnie has been just the sweetest pony from the very first day he came into our care – everyone who spends time with him just instantly fell in love with him,” continued Charlotte.
“He was really shut down and he was very quiet. But despite this was still such a gentleman and just let everybody treat him, the farrier, vet, dentist and the staff – even after all he had been through he was perfect to handle. It was like he just wanted to take all the help because he knew he needed it.”
As well as being underweight, Ronnie was suffering from the flu but couldn’t receive a vaccination because he was too weak. He also had a heavy worm burden, diarrhoea and discharge coming from his eye and nostril.
Ronnie received antibiotics for the flu but restoring his weight needed to be carefully managed. He couldn’t be fed too much too soon as this may have overwhelmed his tiny body and stomach, so he was kept in a small paddock with limited grass. He received three small feeds a day plus hay, the quantities of which were slowly increased over time.
Getting stronger
After six weeks, Ronnie was strong enough to be moved to a bigger paddock with Frodo, an equine companion who became his best friend while at the centre. The team started to reduce Ronnie’s hard feed and moved him to a grass-based diet.
“As Ronnie grew stronger he became more excitable and happier and bouncier and started playing with other horses when he started to feel better. But his mannerism never really changed – he was the perfect little gentleman, it’s the only way to describe him,” said Charlotte.
“He would give us a happy little whinny every morning when he saw us and it was just so heartwarming to see him not only get better physically but mentally as well.
“He put on 32kg in just four weeks under our care and this shows how incredibly underweight he had been and all he needed was to have had a healthy diet and proper care.
“In the four months he was with us, he reached the ideal weight of 225kg – his coat was shining, his feet were no longer sore – he just needed to build up his muscle.”
A new chapter
When Ronnie was well enough to be rehomed he was adopted by Kera Hodson and her family who live in Milton in Oxfordshire and have previously adopted three RSPCA Millbrook rescue ponies – George, Splash and Shelly.
“I am so pleased that Ronnie has also found his perfect forever home. He’s settled in so well and we receive so many wonderful updates on his progress – it’s just so lovely to see him doing so well and still being the perfect gentleman – he really has landed on all four hooves,” said Charlotte.
“We will miss him, but he doesn’t need us anymore and we couldn’t be happier about that.”
‘A home for life’
Kera hopes to back Ronnie when he is ready and that he will become a mother daughter share for her and her daughter Bonnie who is seven months old.
“We had seen Ronnie’s heartbreaking story unfold on Facebook and we knew we needed to help him. Kera instantly set her heart on him and said he’s coming home,” said Kera’s mum, Claire Preston.
“He definitely has a home for life and he has slotted straight in. There’s always something very special about taking on a rescue and they know they have found their people – and he has as well as new siblings and a best friend in George.
“The team at Millbrook have been so brilliant and it’s amazing how well Ronnie recovered they have been so supportive in our adoption and have provided us with all the information they could so that we knew what he needed when he came to us.
“Ronnie’s manners are impeccable and he is very well behaved and just gets on with life – he is just perfect, he hasn’t put a hoof wrong and is happy to be handled by us.
“He does love a sleep and within five minutes of coming into the stable he’s lying down and flat out – he clearly likes his bed – and he can smell a carrot from a mile away!”
Images © RSPCA.
