A pony left suffering in “unbearable mud” is now on the road to recovery since receiving urgent horse care. Philo was found exhausted alongside two other ponies after volunteers from equine welfare charity, Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines (SAFE), were called to land in Berkshire in March, in what was later described as “one of the worst cases of neglect”.
The team of SAFE volunteers found Philo emaciated with a heavy parasite burden and suffering from liver and gut damage on top of strangles. After rescuing him and transferring him to SAFE’s rescue facility in Reading, he was given urgent vet treatment and the care he needed in order to begin his rehabilitation.
Philo was given a specialist diet, with little and often feeds. Three months later, his health has improved greatly and he has fully recovered from strangles.
“Philo and two other ponies were abandoned on a disused piece of development land that had a river running through it, so it was constantly flooded,” said Alison, Trustee and Founder at SAFE. “All the ponies were feral youngsters, Philo being only a year old, and we rescued them from the muddy, dreadfully flooded field on a very cold and wet day. It had become a life or death situation for them.
“With no viable food and at risk of getting stuck in the mud, we went in and got them off the land – they were in a very poor state and it’s taken three months to get them healthier. Thankfully after lots of handling and specialist care, Philo’s companions are ready to enjoy a forever home, and Philo is doing much better and should be ready in the autumn for us to find his special someone.”
Philo is barely recognisable from the rescue case he once was
SAFE relies on donations to fund its rescue operations and much of its recent work has been made possible thanks to its charitable partnership with Harry Hall.
As Harry Hall’s charity partner for 2024, SAFE benefits from fundraising efforts coordinated by the equine specialist, including monetary contributions and the donation of unsold clothing, horse equipment and supplements. The brand is also assisting Alison and her team at SAFE with providing a care package to support Philo in his recovery.
“We’re so grateful to the team at Harry Hall and its members,” added Alison. “We can only do our work through support from partners such as them and the money raised by the team so far this year has allowed us to continue to rescue horses across Berkshire, Surrey and further afield and campaign for their welfare, making sure no horse is left abandoned.”
SAFE was founded in 2014, by a small group of volunteers. The charity aims to help horses and ponies who have been abandoned or neglected keeping them ‘SAFE’ and away from harm.
“We’ve been working with SAFE since the start of the year after they were voted to be our charity partner of the year by our One Club members and the wider equestrian community,” said Liz Hopper, CEO at Harry Hall. “It’s fantastic to see how our support helps Alison and her team to rescue and rehabilitate equines such as Philo.
“To date we have raised almost £3,000 and contributed multiple care packages to help horses and ponies rescued by the SAFE team with specific rehabilitation needs. At Harry Hall we’re committed to supporting SAFE as it continues its tireless work to save equines in need from often dire situations, and are dedicated to raising further funds for the charity throughout the remainder of the year to help fund its hugely valuable work.”
More information about the work that SAFE carries out can be found at www.safe-horses.co.uk
