Get Shorty! The tiny pony who keeps sparking 999 calls ... because people think she's stuck in the mud 11th March 2009
For a tiny pony, Shorty is certainly causing a lot of bother. Her legs are so short that when she's standing on a marshy riverbank passers-by keep thinking she's sinking in mud and then call 999. This has meant that fire crews have been called out four times now to 'rescue' her and led to Mayflower getting the Shorty moniker from locals.
On the last occasion, animal rescue expert Anton Phillips was dispatched to a salt marsh beside the River Test in Southampton, Hants, with 12 other firefighters, in two fire engines together with a specialist lifting vehicle.
Mr Phillips, of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'Every time we get there we can see very quickly what we were dealing with - a pony with short legs that looks like a dwarf. The pony is oddly shaped but it is fit and healthy and there is no reason to worry about it. From 200 yards away it does look like the pony is trapped in the mud, especially when it is stood next to New Forest ponies which are about twice as tall.'
He added: 'Obviously it's not the pony's fault for being so short but it probably needs fencing in to stop us getting called out. There is a cost implication to consider and callouts like this are a big expense.'
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service estimates that each time a fire engine goes out it costs at least £251. Mr Phillips, 50, said the pony must have inherited its unusual proportions from two different breeds. 'It looks like it has a Shetland's little legs and a New Forest pony's long body', he said.
However, owner Sandra Whitcher today insisted Mayflower is a pure-bred 12-year-old Shetland. She said: 'People are always phoning up and saying Mayflower has got stuck in mud when she's perfectly OK - she's just got short legs. We have had animal rescuers, the police and the fire brigade up here. When they get here Mayflower sees them and just runs off so they realise she's not stuck at all. We might have to put up a sign so passing motorists know the horse is not stuck.' But she added: 'The only problem is that one day she might actually get stuck and then the fire brigade won't turn up.'
Shetland ponies, known for their short legs, typically grow to between 2ft 4in and 3ft 6in tall. New Forest ponies are larger, tending to be between 4ft and 4ft 10in, and more normally proportioned.
Man charged with drunk driving horse and lorry simultaneously A Polish farmer could be facing jail after he caused a road accident by being drunk in charge of a horse and a lorry at the same time.
Things started to go wrong for 62-year-old Leszek Stepien when his truck broke down. Cunningly, he decided to use his horse to tow the vehicle to the garage for repair, while he steered. Unfortunately, he had drunk so much he couldn't steer straight.
The horse-lorry adventure came to an abrupt end when he managed to steer the lorry into the path of an oncoming car, then into a roadside railing, tipping the truck over. Somehow, everybody managed to emerge from the crash unscathed. Stepien clambered out of the cab and began yelling at the horse: 'This is all your fault.'
Some reports suggest the situation may have been complicated by the horse attempting to put the moves on an attractive mare. 'Luckily the horse wasn't injured, but the owner is facing charges including animal cruelty and drink driving,' said a police officer.
Meet Einstein, the world's smallest horse who weighs less than a newborn baby
26th April 2010
This pint-sized stallion could be a record breaker as the world's smallest foal. The three-day old pinto stallion, called Einstein, is just 14 inches high and weighs only an incredible 6lbs. The diminutive horse was born in Barnstead, New Hampshire, on Friday at Tiz Miniature Horse Farm.
His tiny proportions may be more suitable for a human baby, but they are tiny for a horse, even a miniature breed like Einstein. Dr Rachel Wagner, Einstein's co-owner, claims the Guinness Book of Records lists the smallest newborn horse as weighing just 9lbs. Breeders say that unlike the current record holder, Thumbelina, Einstein shows no signs of dwarfism - he is just a tiny horse.
I was just watching the NZ movie 'Eagle Vs Shark' and I think I might have found out what this HORSE! thing is all about... in the scene two people are sitting on a bus when one spots a HORSE! and shouts out HORSE!... the other one's annoyed that they missed it.
So there we go - it's just a daft travelling HORSE! game.
My little ugly pony: Maddison, six, in bid to raise £4,000 for operation on disfigured foal
20th June 2010
A six-year-old girl is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for an operation on her beloved foal after he was born with a rare condition which left his face disfigured. Maddison Biddlecombe fell in love with Diego despite his peculiar appearance and begged her family not to have him put down. Despite being advised by other horse owners to have Diego put to sleep, Maddison's mother, 33-year-old Janey Biddlecombe, refused. She is now hoping to raise money for an operation by an equine dentist which is set to cost £4,000.
Diego was born on May 12 with Wry Nose Syndrome which caused him to have a bent nose and undershot jaw. Despite initial difficulties he has learnt to suckle from his mother and is happy, healthy and growing well.
Maddison, said: 'Diego is my best friend and I don't care what he looks like, to me his face makes him special. 'He's so lovely. We have a lot of fun playing games and he likes to chase me around the field. I love him lots and he gives me kisses and cuddles. People shouldn't say he should be put down because of what he looks like, it doesn't matter to me. My friends really like him too and we have so much fun feeding him. He's the best horse ever.'
Mrs Biddlecombe, who keeps her horses in Southampton, Hants, sought advice online from others on the New Forest Equine Directory forum and was shocked by some responses. She said: 'I asked for help and advice but some people have been unkind and told me to put him to sleep. Maybe it's an easy way out but not for me. I don't agree with putting him to sleep just because he looks different. It was a struggle the day after he was born but he's come on leaps and bounds and is doing fantastically. Maddison adores Diego and has formed a great bond with him. They have even been found cuddled up together asleep in the field in the sun. He certainly knows he's loved. He's a fighter and I am willing to do everything and anything for him - whatever it takes to make sure he has a happy, normal life. When he's bombing around the field he's so happy and there's no way I could put him down - not unless he's suffering, but not just because he looks different.'
Mrs Biddlecombe, of Poole, Dorset, said her mother had been a great help as Diego is kept in her field. She said the RSPCA were happy with Diego but accepted that the colt could have problems when he starts grazing. She said she hoped any difficulties could be cured by surgery and the family would be devastated if they had to have him put down. Mrs Biddlecombe added: 'We would be heartbroken but we will do all we can for him and let him know he was loved and cuddled and kissed.'
Wry Nose Syndrome causes the upper and lower jaw of a horse to grow to one side.
-----------------
At first I thought the DEFORMED HORSE! was a cross llama/camel...
Police in southern Russia are investigating allegations of animal cruelty after a donkey was made to parasail as part of an advertising stunt, Russian media report. The donkey was sent up into the sky last week by entrepreneurs hoping to attract people to their private beach. Witnesses near the beach on the Sea of Azov in the Krasnodar region said the animal had been screaming in fear.
It landed in the water and was pulled onto the shore, said police. "The donkey screamed and children cried," regional police spokeswoman Larisa Tuchkova told AFP news agency. "No-one had the brains to call police." Instead, bystanders took photos and phoned newspapers, she said.
"It was put up so high into the sky that the children on the beach cried and asked their parents: 'Why did they tie a doggy to a parachute?'" Taman newspaper reported last week. "The donkey landed in an atrocious manner: it was dragged several metres along the water, after which the animal was pulled out half-alive onto the shore," the paper reported.
Police began to investigate after the incident, which occurred at the coastal village of Golubitskaya, was aired on national news on Tuesday. The businessmen responsible may face criminal charges for animal cruelty, according to news agency RIA-Novosti.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
