Sullivan (Sully)

2018 | Piebald | Gypsy Cob | Under 12.2hh

Sullivan came to us with his best mate Gilbert, via the RSPCA. They were seized as part of a large group of seriously neglected ponies, two of which had died in a mud-covered field without any food supply.

Both Sully and Gilbert were emaciated foals, exhausted and so very sick when they arrived that they were each carried into the stables by one of the team.

They spent many, many weeks on rehab; sleeping, resting and healing – nothing more energetic than quietly munching on hay as they travelled along the long, slow road to recovery.

They finally both turned a corner and early in their second year it was time for castration. Gilbert had only one testicle descended and was then given more time to see if the other one appeared.

Unfortunately, it was not to be and he was duly booked in for rig surgery.

This operation requires a General Anaesthetic and therefore carries inherent risks. It was nevertheless, a dark day here for the team, when we received the call to say that Gilbert had not made it through the anaesthesia. After all that he had been through, it seemed so terribly unfair to lose him in that way.

Work in animal welfare is tough and things don’t always go the way we hope – and it is times like this when we all feel tested by the pain of compassion fatigue.

Life does however, go on – and that was certainly the case for Sullivan. He has thankfully gone from strength to strength and in 2025, one of our long-term volunteers, Jen Wilson took him to start under saddle. He then returned to us for a winter break and we will see how he progresses in 2026.