Tied to a bike covered in barbed wire – a pony close to death makes an astonishing recovery
A young filly that was discovered emaciated, covered in lice and tied to an old bike, which had been wrapped in barbed wire, has been rescued by World Horse Welfare and is now almost unrecognisable from the horse that first came into the charity’s care.
Nearly five months after the 18-month-old skewbald was found by field officer Becky Bedson at a site in Hertfordshire, the pony named Pedals is now ready for re-homing following careful rehabilitation at World Horse Welfare’s Norfolk Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton.
On February 28, 2024, the equine charity’s UK support team received a report from a concerned member of the public which described the filly’s situation as: “Tethered yearling, no water, no grass on mud patch, no hay, out in all weather, underweight and very depressed.”
Becky Bedson, the charity’s field officer who covers the Hertfordshire area, went to investigate and found Pedals in a shockingly poor state.
“She was in a really poor body condition when we found her. Her hips and spine were protruding, and she was covered in lice,” Becky recalled.
“She was actually tethered to an old bike that she was dragging around with her. The rest of the tether was attached to a fence, so she couldn’t drag it all over the field, but it was a significant hazard and potentially could have caused her some really bad injuries.
“Tethering isn’t illegal, but it must be done safely. And to tether a horse to a bike that it was dragging around behind it, where it could really get significant injuries if it got tangled up or stood on it, it’s just not acceptable.”
Despite being so young, Pedals had shoes on all four feet, a concerning sign suggesting she had been used for some form of work, and at such a young age that would have been completely inappropriate.
Efforts to locate her owner proved unsuccessful and abandonment notices yielded no response. With both a veterinarian and police confirming her suffering was of a level for her to be taken in, Pedals was rescued under the Animal Welfare Act. Once deemed fit for travel, she was transported to World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre to begin her road to recovery.
The team at Hall Farm named the filly Pedals, motivated by the bicycle to which she was tragically tied.
“We always look for a nice name that harks back to the original job. So, we wracked our brains for a bike-related name and the best we could come up with was Pedals, Becky said.
Pedals’ transformation has been nothing short of miraculous. From a severely underweight, lice-infested pony, she has blossomed into a sweet and loving filly, with an incredible temperament and she is now ready to start a new chapter in her life.
Becky expressed the fulfilment of her work, she said: “Pedals has completely transformed, she looks completely different, I wouldn’t recognise her if I hadn’t been told who she was, she was in really, really poor body condition. And, to be honest, I think she was close to not surviving.
“The best part of my job is to be able to remove these horses and ponies from these terrible situations and then be able to come and look at them fully recovered, with an amazing prospect of a new home and a great life.”
Posted on the rehoming page of the charity’s website today, Pedals has joined over 70 other horses and ponies who are also currently ready for rehoming.
World Horse Welfare is the largest equine rescue and rehoming charity in the UK, rehabilitating and finding new homes for approximately 300 horses every year. Rehomers receive an honest assessment of their chosen horse’s capabilities and ongoing support, with the reassurance that the rehomed horse can be returned to the charity if circumstances change.
For more information on the rehoming process and to explore the possibility of welcoming Pedals into your home, visit World Horse Welfare’s rehoming website.
A short film of Pedals’ story and her miraculous recovery can be watched here.