The founder of a horse sanctuary claims she saw a teenager spray a can of aerosol in the face of a pony which she says has taken him months to settle.
Julie Blake, who runs Cecil’s Horse Sanctuary in Elstree, says the latest incident is a string of attacks on the sanctuary and the rescue ponies.
Julie says she watched as a teenager sprayed the can into the nostrils of three-year-old Foxy, a Welsh Section A pony, yesterday afternoon. She confronted him but he denied it.
The founder says that a car was recently broken into and driven into a bush, stopping just metres from the sanctuary’s fence. Had the car crashed into the fence, Julie says the horses would have all escaped into a busy road.
Crime in and around the sanctuary is nothing new for Julie and her team. In May, the yard was broken into and a generator was stolen. More seriously, the sanctuary had suffered an outbreak of strangles, and left open gates meant that the horses were all mixed up.
Thieves also targeted Cecil’s last year as well.
Julie says the attack on Foxy is worse because it has taken six months to gain his trust but now he just runs away.
She said: “We have been having a terrible time. People have thrown things at the horses and now aerosol sprayed.
“Foxy had gone up to say hello and the boy did this. What a horrible thing to do. We could not get near him last night."
Julie is now appealing for help and donations to build a new fence to protect Foxy and the other horses.
“The ponies have been through enough in their lives and we want to feel that the sanctuary is a place where they can feel safe. Sadly, if this means we have to fence them further away from the perimeter so people are less able to enjoy watching them, then this is what we will need to do.”
“We need to protect them which is a shame because so many good kids come down and pet the ponies. I really care when these people do something to my sanctuary and horses, and I don’t want them near my animals.”
If you can help Julie, you can contact her on 07954393629 or visit Cecil’s Facebook page to find out more.
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