Melvin the pony who was saved when schoolgirl, 13, told owners who were going to put him down to deliver him to her grandmother’s house instead is now healthy and looking for new home
- The 10-month-old colt was due to be put down but was saved by a schoolgirl, 13
- The advert said the horse would be put to sleep if they did not find a new owner
- Girl offered to keep the horse at grandmother’s home in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs
- Since then, it’s been nursed back to health by the charity World Horse Welfare
A pony which was saved from being put down when a 13-year-old offered to keep it in her grandmother’s suburban garden is now healthy and ready for a new home.
The anonymous animal-loving schoolgirl was horrified to read an online advert in April saying if no-one wanted the 10 month-old colt, it would be put to sleep.
Desperate to save his life, the girl gave her grandmother’s address in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs – and they were later shocked to find the horse dumped in her backyard.
Since then the underweight and mite-covered horse has been handed to animal charity World Horse Welfare (WHW), in Blackpool, Lancs, and nursed back to health.
A pony which was saved from being put down when a 13-year-old offered to keep it in her grandmother’s suburban garden is now healthy and ready for a new home
The pony was named Mr Melvin Andrews, in part after RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin (left), who helped with the effort to get him healthy after he was found in the garden (right)
Now the pony, named Mr Melvin Andrews after its rescuers – WHW worker Rachel Andrews and RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin – is finally ready for a new home.
The centre said he was ready to be re-homed and would be a good companion horse.
WHW spokeswoman Carys Samuels said he probably could not be ridden but there were ‘plenty of other things you can do with a horse’.
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The centre has described him as ‘a cheeky little chap’ who is ‘very inquisitive’, particularly with regards to his grooming box which he likes to ‘rifle through’.
‘He always wants to see people and get attention,’ Ms Samuels said, adding that he had become popular at the centre because visitors knew his story.
They added: ‘Melvin has proven himself to be a friendly, cheeky little pony, who loves a good grooming session and gets on really well with others.
Since being found, the underweight and mite-covered horse has been handed to animal charity World Horse Welfare (WHW), in Blackpool, Lancs, and nursed back to health (shown)
Melvin the horse is pictured on arrival at the World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm in Lancashire
‘He’s now ready to find a home with a rehomer who has experience of handling youngsters and can continue his education.
‘Could that person be you? Find out more and apply for Melvin today.’
The RSPCA and World Horse Welfare were called by a distressed woman who arrived home to find a horse in her garden on April 27.
Mr Melvin Andrews was left in her backyard in Smallthorne, Stoke, after her 13-year-old girl responded to an online advert saying he would be put down if no-one replied.
Praising the schoolgirl for saving his life, the RSPCA were called out and found he was underweight and covered in mites.
Now the colt is looking a picture of health but Mr Melvin Andrews was one of thousands of horses the RSPCA says are regularly dumped in the UK.
Now the colt is looking a picture of health but Me Melvvin Andrews was one of thousands of horses the RSPCA says are regularly dumped in the UK
Charities say they are receiving a number of horses like him who are ‘indiscriminately bred in the hope they will be of reasonable quality’ and later dumped.
The RSPCA recently revealed that one mare was dumped by the side of the road while trying to give birth, it said. The mother and foal both died.
The problem is partly that horses were cheap to buy but expensive to maintain, especially if they needed veterinary care.
It said prosecution cases involving horses had risen by 25 per cent since 2015.
RSPCA chief inspector Sam Garvey said it had taken care of horses that had been ‘literally dumped down dirt tracks along with the rubbish’.
‘The owners had taken their rubbish out to fly-tip and at the same time taken a sick and injured horse along with it,’ she explained.
‘And we’ve gone out to calls and not been able to see the horse until we’ve literally rifled through the rubbish.’
Pictured are the hooves of Melvin the horse shortly after his arrival at Penny Farm in Lancashire, where he was cared for by World Horse Welfare
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