Saving Rufus the lonely pony

Rufus finds a friend.  Rufus was a prisoner in his stable for many years.  He’s approx. 18 years old now and we don’t exactly know how long ago that his owner started to neglect him because of her dementia.  He had a sad and lonely life full of pain and misery which is why he is in such a bad state now.   When we were alerted to his plight by Social Services and brought him in to the sanctuary, it was obvious that he had no idea what another horse or pony was.  His isolation meant that he’d never seen them, perhaps even from a foal.

At first when he whinned to us and another pony whinnied back he was startled, then curious.  Even though he is still frail and unwell he became very excited when Sundance, the little pony shown here, came to see him.   Sundance is laid back and he is a friendly pony so he is the ideal ‘first friend’.   Rufus is besotted with him and wants to be as close to Sundance as he can get.   The problem is that he can’t walk properly yet, so it’s supervised visits only and for a short while.

Even though Sundance is a miniature pony and only 38 inches tall, Rufus is dwarfed by him.   He’s only half the size.  One day, when Rufus is recovered, we hope he’ll be able to meet the rest of the herd and go out in the fields with them.   Please join our Saving Rufus Appeal (on Fundrazr) and with your help we’ll make it happen.

Even a small amount builds up and makes a big difference – many thanks x