Weak and barely able to walk, Polly emerges from the lorry and staggers down the ramp.
The three-year-old skewbald horse is shockingly thin and bones are visible beneath her patchy coat.
Yet it had taken weeks of around-the-clock veterinary care to build Polly's strength just to this stage, ready for the journey to our Felledge Equine and Animal Centre near Durham.
'It's a miracle she survived'
Polly was rescued by RSPCA Inspector Sarah Keith after a member of the public spotted a collapsed horse on common land near Hull, East Yorkshire, and rang our 24-hour cruelty line.
Inspector Keith said:
Polly was extremely emaciated and lethargic when I found her.
She hadn't been fed properly or wormed, and the vet who examined Polly said she had the worst case of lice he had ever seen.
Sadly I see a large number of skinny horses, but I'd say Polly was the second thinnest horse I've ever rescued – it's a miracle she survived.
Inspector Keith tracked down Polly's owner who said he'd owned her for a few weeks and bought her because he felt sorry for her.
He acknowledged he hadn't cared for her properly and was issued with an RSPCA written caution.
Polly was signed over into RSPCA care so she could receive the urgent veterinary treatment she needed.
And, at the beginning of June 2010, Polly was moved to our Felledge Equine and Animal Centre to be cared for by our expert equine staff and continue her recovery.