A young pony, who was found with an eye so badly ulcerated that it had be removed, is adapting well to life with reduced vision.
Pirate Pete, a now two-year-old Piebald cob, was discovered fly-grazing in a large field in Gravesend, Kent last year by World Horse Welfare Field Officer Rebecca Carter.
On arrival, Rebecca could see Pirate Pete’s eye was incredibly sore and contacted colleagues at the RSPCA, a vet and the police. Officers signed the pony into the care of the RSPCA so they could safely remove him and take him to Lingfield Equine Vets.
An abandonment notice was left at the field where Pirate Pete was found, but no owner came forward to claim him, so the charities were unable to investigate further.
It is believed Pirate Pete had been suffering with a painful eye for around a month and due to the length of time it had been left without treatment it could not be saved.
‘Long journey’
“Little Pete received a huge amount of medical treatment for his severely injured eye, ending in an enucleation (removal of the eye) treatment for strangles, and he also had a chondroid removal (the removal of a mass in his throat/neck, relating to the strangles infection),” said Roxane Kirton, RSPCA head vet for equines.
“It was a long journey for Pete but the teams worked incredibly hard to pull him through his ordeal. Our thanks must go to our amazing supporters whose donations help us to pay for veterinary treatment for ponies like Pete.”
Once Pirate Pete had recovered enough to travel, he was moved to Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre, having been signed over to World Horse Welfare by the RSPCA at the conclusion of their investigation.
New chapter
Senior groom Megan Jarvis has cared for Pirate Pete since he arrived at Hall Farm.
“I’m so proud of how he has come on since he got here. When he first arrived, he was really quite nervous and was having to adjust to life with only one eye. I’ve been amazed at how quickly he progressed once I got him into a routine of regular handling. He’s such a quick learner and very brave,” said Megan.
“Pirate Pete has also coped really well with being introduced to life in a herd despite his limited vision. We turned him out with just a few ponies first to see how he got on, but now he’s out with a big group of geldings and absolutely thriving. I think he’s a wonderful little boy – someone is going to have a really lovely pony when he’s ready for rehoming.”
Images © RSPCA.
