Princess
Rescued: May 16, 2009
Passed away: June 9, 2010

Princess was suffering appalling neglect and facing death at the hands of a local butcher when we found her. Kept in a tiny pen with two other miniature ponies and fed on scraps of stale bread and rotting vegetables, Princess was a toy for the butcher’s grandchildren while she was being fattened for meat.

Her hooves had been left uncut and so had curled upward like Dutch clogs. She and the other two ponies were such a shocking sight that we were inundated by calls from horrified members of the public.

Despite the dreadful state of Princess and the other two ponies, Magic and Angel, the butcher refused to admit there was anything wrong. He would not part with the horses because, he said, his grandchildren loved them. Eventually, though, with a little prompting from the local police, he agreed we could have them – for 550 euros. We paid because it was the only way to save their lives.

Sadly, the years of neglect had a devastating effect on Princess. With hooves left uncut her joints had been forced out of place and she had developed laminitis, a painful inflammatory disease. She was prone to infection and it had been a constant battle to keep her alive. Many times we had prepared ourselves for the worst, but this plucky little pony wouldn’t give up and each time she had pulled through.

Princess lived the rest of her life at the Centre, where she happily spent her days in the garden with our donkey, Charity. Sadly, the eldest pony, Angel, died a short time after being rescued.

Tragically, Princess lost her fight for life on June 9th, 2010. She will be greatly missed at the rescue centre.

Rest In Peace Our Beautiful Little Princess.