AN ANIMAL Charity has spoken of their heartbreak after a pony which had suffered unimaginable cruelty was rescued too late for her to be saved.
My Lovely Horse Rescue took a sick pony into their care on Sunday after she was discovered in a wooded area with swollen eyes and lumps all over her body, with the charity's vets suspecting the mare had been beaten multiple times throughout her life.
The pony, who the rescue named Jenna, was given the greatest love and care possible but sadly passed away on Monday morning after the trauma she had suffered proved too much to bear.
A spokesperson for the charity announced that Jenna had been found in an area where "lots of bones" had been present, leading them to believe the area could be a regular dumping ground for dead and dying ponies.
My Lovely Horse Rescue are now asking for 'Justice for Jenna'.
An investigation has been launched, with Gardaí trawling through CCTV in the area and witnesses asked to come forward in order to bring her previous owners to justice.
Multiple people in the Lucan and Clondalkin area have reported seeing Jenna being beaten in the weeks leading up to her rescue, and the sanctuary say the horse, who was only 3 years old, "knew nothing but cruelty until her very last day".
MLHR co-founder Martina Kenny told Dublin Live that when they found Jenna, "she was weak, really really weak".
“We didn’t think it at first but she had been beaten badly, when we got back to the van we had the vet waiting for her, and he said she’s been beaten really badly, and from couple of the cuts that she did have, she could have septicemia.
“He put her on a drip for a while and then gave her really strong antibiotics and painkillers for the pain in her head."
Despite best efforts by vets and volunteers to saver her life, Jenna died in the early hours of the morning.
"She laid down and rested, and we had a massive bed of straw for her so her poor head could be comfy, and she, basically, just died right there in front of us," Ms Kenny told the outlet.
One witness is alleged to have told the charity that a child had been seen riding on her back and being "very aggressive" towards her, before an older teenager "came over with some object in his hand" and beat her on the back and on the side.
The "horrible group" of teenagers who attacked her need to be brought to justice, Ms Kenny said.
“Two people have seen her being bashed, and others have been in touch to say she was in Clondalkin.
“There wouldn’t be many around that look like her.
“If you’re going to have a horse, look after it. If you can’t look after it, call us. We say it every time. We’re always helping if needed.
“We don’t want anyone leaving an animal to suffer, but this time it wasn’t that.
“There was a horrible group of people bashing that animal, and they should be held accountable."
See More: Animal Cruelty, Animal Rescue, My Lovely Horse
