Run free, precious Polly

We are devastated to announce the passing of beautiful miracle girl, Pollyanna, who beat all the odds to survive the worst body condition we have ever seen. Her inspirational fight to live made her a popular sponsor resident since her incredible rehabilitation back in 2014.

Pollyanna was found dumped alongside two other mares in a large cornfield near to the M25 in Chalfont St Peter in February ten years ago. All three mares were emaciated and in a terrible condition; one was too weak to stand and had to be put to sleep on the scene. The two remaining thoroughbred type mares, Pollyanna and Penelope, were both transported to The Horse Trust where they received around the clock care from our dedicated team.

Tragically, Penelope suffered many complications from the horrific neglect they had suffered, and these were too much for her to bear. She was euthanised to avoid her suffering any further once all avenues to aid her rehabilitation were exhausted. However, Pollyanna had a fighting spirit and despite severe emaciation, heavy worm burden, rain scald and conjunctivitis she began to slowly heal and recover thanks to the dedicated care given from The Horse Trust team.

After several months of trickle feeding throughout the night as well as the day, Polly was unrecognisable from the bony bay mare admitted on that chilly February and she was not only gorgeous to look at but had also grown in confidence, becoming extremely friendly and enjoying nothing more than attention and fuss from the team. Her amazing transformation and lovable nature made her a wonderful candidate for our sponsorship scheme and we can only thank those who have supported her journey throughout her life here, as it is regular funds like these that allow us to continue to rehabilitate other horses who find themselves in situations like poor Polly.

Jeanette Allen, CEO of The Horse Trust, had a very special relationship with Polly, having been by her side from the beginning of her Horse Trust journey until the very end:

I can’t express how said we are to lose Polly. She amazed us all with her extraordinary recovery from so close to death. Months of feeding her tiny amounts throughout the night meant many of us had a very special bond with her. We’re so grateful she had 10 happy years but her loss breaks our hearts.

As is often the way with horses who have suffered extreme neglect in their past, they can have reoccurring issues related to the long-lasting effects of such mistreatment. On the whole, Polly has been lucky not to have many veterinary concerns over the past ten years but the psychological effects of her neglect and the impact of her structured rehabilitation meant that she found being in a stable or receiving an intensive course of veterinary treatment highly stressful. Therefore, we have always been realistic about her mental welfare should she ever require another rigorous recovery plan.

In the past year, she has suffered from low grade lameness issues that we have managed within her comfort zone. More recently, it became apparent that for a full recovery she would be required to undergo treatment that would cause her extreme stress due to her past. Therefore, we made the difficult decision to say goodnight one final time, protecting Pollyanna’s physical and psychological welfare.

Run free, precious Polly, our fighter until the end.