Pony Bert on the road to recovery after being found in poor state in Lutton Marsh

A pony who was found close to death is now doing well thanks to the hard work of a welfare charity.

Bert, a blue and white Fallabella Shetland stallion, was very thin and had a wound with maggots growing inside it, when he was discovered in Lutton Marsh earlier this year.

The pony was kept safe by a kind hearted horse owner - before being transferred into the care of Bransby Horses.

Welfare manager Rachel Jenkinson said: “Bert’s case was one of the worst we have seen this year and it was very distressing to see an animal in such an appalling state.

“Our veterinary and yard teams did an amazing job nursing him back to health and he is now thankfully looking and feeling much better.”

As well as his visible wounds Bert was also suffering from a highly contagious equine respiratory virus, which if left untreated can be fatal.

His veterinary care alone ran into the thousands and it is only thanks to the generous support of the public that Bransby Horses were able to help him. Five months on and little Bert is barely recognisable; his wounds are healed and he is virus free.

Rachel added: “Bransby Horses are only able to provide this specialist care to the hundreds of horses we have seen this year thanks to the fantastic support we receive from the public and we thank them unreservedly.

“Bert was unusual in that his microchip details had not been kept up to date so we unable to trace his most recent owners or anyone willing to take care of him and provide the medical treatment he needed. The RSPCA where then involved due to the state he was in.”

Bransby Horses launched its ‘Winter Costs – Food and Care’ campaign to help meet the rising costs associated rescued horses. Anyone can make a one-off donation, starting from £6 visit: bransbyhorses/winter-costs-bert