When the World Horse Welfare found out about an abandoned pony in South West England, field officers went to check on the horse and see what his condition was.
The five-year-old Fell pony Dave was grossly overweight since he had been abandoned for about two years and left to gorge himself on open grass land for such a long time.
The horse was brought to Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset, where the World Horse Welfare staff took care of him for the next year or so.
As Field Officer Chris Shaw explained, Dave was in a lot of pain when he was found.
There was so much fat in his body that he could barely move, since his joints had been affected, and he also suffered from Laminitis, a hoof condition that causes significant pain.
According to experts, “laminitis is damage and inflammation of the tissue between the hoof and the underlying coffin bone”.
In extreme cases, the horse may not even be able to stand, requiring euthanasia.
When the horse first arrived at the farm, he made such a loud noise making his way down the ramp, that it sounded like actual thunder. And that’s why his stable name became Thunder after that.
Thankfully, in Thunder’s case, his laminitis was at a stage where it could still be treated.
The members of staff that took care of him, managed to put him on a diet that helped him lose about 50 pounds within the first couple of months.
But it was not enough.
As Anna Hammond, a vet at World Horse Welfare, said, he was one of the most overweight horses she’d ever seen, and, definitely, he had a big fat pad between his ears, which she had never seen before.
The vets and staff members managed to help Thunder with his hooves, they started training him again in order for him to exercise and strengthen his muscles, and, nine months later, he was a completely different animal.
The pony lost 220 pounds within a year of his arrival at the farm, which was amazing.
He didn’t have fat everywhere, his ribs could be felt, and the fat pads on his bottom almost disappeared.
His caregivers were so happy with the pony’s progress over the course of this one year.
They said that he would soon be able to find a new home.
Now, if you’ve never thought of horse obesity, we know it sounds kind of funny. But it really doesn’t have to do with the horse’s appearance. It does affect the animal’s health.
“Fat horses are at greater risk for exercise intolerance, founder, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, the formation of colic-causing lipomas (fat tumors in the abdomen), joint and bone problems, reduced reproduction efficiency and increased stress on their heart and lungs,” Dr. Tom Lenz on behalf of AQHA explains.
Luckily, Thunder was able to almost go back to normal thanks to the care he received. And that’s why asking for help if you feel that there is an issue with your animal is important.
Watch Thunder’s transformation in the video below.
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