(Image: ARC - Anna's Rescue Centre)
Last Updated: 1 minute ago
A pony has been killed after being struck by a car on Rover Way in Cardiff, prompting fresh calls for action over horse welfare in the area.
Anna Mason, who runs Anna’s Rescue Centre, was contacted by a member of the public on Saturday evening, March 6, after the pony was hit on the busy road. She arrived at the scene at around 6pm and found the animal had been dragged from the carriageway to a grass verge just past the Tesco Extra by a passer-by.
Despite surviving the initial impact, a vet who attended the scene determined the pony could not be saved, and it died at the roadside.
Anna told Wales Online: “A lovely man dragged it off the road and he rang me. I arranged a trailer and a place for the horse to go but the vet decided it wasn’t able to be saved. Apparently it had been going up and down the road for five days so unfortunately I think it was bound to happen at some point.”
A growing problem
The stretch of road near a travellers’ site is well known to drivers for the regular presence of loose ponies and horses. Anna said around 20 horses had been found dead or in disturbing circumstances along the same road in recent months, including one found upside down on railings.
She continued: “It’s a shame that not all these horses are in proper paddocks or aren’t properly looked after.
“It’s a shame they are tethered, I don’t agree with tethering because it causes injuries as they tie themselves up in circles and can’t reach their water and they aren’t fed properly.
“There should be better laws in place to look after these ponies and more action should be taken sooner therefore these very sad outcomes would not happen.”
Senedd petition launched 🐴
Following the latest incident, Anna has launched a Senedd petition calling for a ban on the tethering of horses and greater intervention when animals are neglected. The petition has already gathered more than 2,000 signatures.
It reads: “The suffering of tethered horses has gone on for long enough. They are tied up in unsuitable places, often along major roads.
“They have no shelter, veterinary help and often no food or water. This is neglect and needs to stop. How can we call ourselves civilised when this abuse is going on in full view of everyone?”
