Neglected Fell pony Jet

Horse Jet skinny before rescued © RSPCA

One of our inspectors was called out to a neglected a black Fell pony called Jet. She saw he was in very poor body condition with his spine and hips protruding. He had little or no grazing, just a covering of dock leaves which he manoeuvred his lips around in an attempt to find any small blades of grass.

An area in the paddock was a circular shape of just mud and earth, as though the area may have been used to tether him. He had no real shelter and nowhere clean and dry for him to lie. There were also numerous hazards including piles of rubble and metal objects with sharp edges lying around.

A body condition of 0.5 out of five

A member of staff from The British Horse Society advised she had previously tried to advise the owner about the poor body condition of his horse but he refused to take this advice.

An independent vet assessed Jet and his environment from the boundary wall and stated that he appeared to be in a suffering state. The police were called and they took Jet into possession. Jet was taken to an equine boarding establishment where the vet could examine him thoroughly. She assessed he was around 20 years old and his body condition score was just 0.5 out of 5 (the ideal body condition score would have been three out of five). His teeth were overgrown and his poor body condition had been caused as a result of malnutrition.

The man agreed to sign Jet over to us however he told the inspector he intended to get another horse.

Jet ate eagerly whilst at the boarding yard and received treatment for Cushing's disease, an ailment which can cause laminitis.