Katy-Rose
Born: July 16, 2011

Katy-Rose was the third foal born at our rescue centre and her life could have been much different, were it not for the rescue of her mother about eight months earlier.

Pregnant Sophia had been found in October 2010, tied to a tree in a small orange grove behind an industrial estate, alongside her two-year-old son and two other skeletal miniature ponies. All had been left with no food or water and very little shelter from the blazing Spanish sun.

We got them out under the guard of Almoradí police officers, armed amid the threat of violence. Police were so worried about repercussions they actually advised us to place Sophia, Jacob, Nelson and Napoleon in hiding for several months until they gained enough weight to be less recognisable. Kind volunteers housed them all until, eventually, we brought the minis and Sophia back home. (Jacob was rehomed to a kind couple in Murcia.)

Back at our rescue centre, Sophia gradually gained weight as she grew ever closer to giving birth.

Then, at about 6.30pm on July 16, 2011, the big moment came. Sophia gave birth to a healthy filly out in the field, a beautiful surprise as normally mares give birth at night when nobody is around.

We named the filly Katy-Rose and she is an exact replica of her mother in every way. Katy-Rose still lives here today, sharing a field with Bronson and Harry Trotter.