A BRADFORD equestrian company has been involved in the rescue of a horse that was left for dead in "unbearable mud".

Harry Hall, which specialises in equestrian products and services, helped to save one-year-old Philo from "one of the worst cases of neglect" a horse rescue charity has ever seen.

Philo was rescued from a muddy, un-used field by volunteers from Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines (SAFE).

The pony was found emaciated and exhausted with a huge parasite burden and suffering from liver and gut damage, as well as strangles, a highly contagious upper respiratory tract infection caused by a bacteria.

After being rescued from the site in Berkshire, Philo was transferred to SAFE’s rescue centre and given urgent vet treatment. He was put on a specialist diet to build his strength. Now Philo is now much healthier and has fully recovered from strangles.

Alison Stratford, Trustee and Founder at SAFE, said: “Philo and two other ponies were abandoned on a disused piece of development land that had a river running through it, so it was constantly flooded. All the ponies were feral youngsters, Philo being only a year old, and we rescued them from the muddy, dreadfully flooded field on a very cold and wet day. It had become a life or death situation for them.

"They were in a very poor state, it has taken three months to get them healthier. Thankfully after lots of specialist care, Philo’s companions are ready to enjoy a forever home, and Philo is doing much better and should be ready in the autumn for us to find his special someone.”

SAFE relies solely on donations to fund rescue operations and much of its recent work has been made possible thanks to its charitable partnership with Harry Hall. As the Bradford-based equestrian specialist's charity partner for 2024, SAFE benefits from fundraising and donations of unsold clothing, horse equipment and supplements. Harry Hall is also assisting SAFE with providing a care package to support Philo in his recovery.

Added Alison: “We’re so grateful to the team at Harry Hall. The money raised so far this year has allowed us to continue to rescue horses and campaign for their welfare.”

Liz Hopper, CEO at Harry Hall, said: “We’ve been working with SAFE since the start of the year after they were voted to be our charity partner of the year by our One Club members and the wider equestrian community. It’s fantastic to see how our support helps Alison and her team to rescue and rehabilitate equines such as Philo.

“To date we have raised almost £3,000 and contributed multiple care packages to help horses and ponies rescued by the SAFE team with specific rehabilitation needs. At Harry Hall we’re committed to supporting SAFE as it continues its tireless work to save equines in need from often dire situations, and are dedicated to raising further funds for the charity throughout the remainder of the year to help fund its hugely valuable work.”

* For more about SAFE and Harry Hall visit safe-horses.co.uk and harryhallinsurance.com