Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Ele Sparkes
One-eyed rescue pony Molly on winning streak with her 10-year-old rider
A one-eyed pony who was rescued from terrible neglect is now on a winning streak with her 10-year-old rider Ele Sparkes after being rehabilitated at Blue Cross.
The pair have formed a close bond in the year that they’ve been together and regularly go to shows and Pony Club events, often getting placed in dressage and jumping competitions.
Earlier this month they came first in a one day event and, just a couple of weeks later, they won a Pony Club class and came second in a Best Rider competition.
Ele says: “Molly is a very good pony and I absolutely love riding her. She’s very calm, and I feel safe with her. It’s amazing that we’ve won so much in a year and I’ve really enjoyed it, especially the jumping.
“When we go to events, a lot of other people are really surprised at how good she is because she’s a rescue pony and she only has one eye, but she often beats the other ponies.”
The Blue Cross team are delighted to see Molly so happy after she had a terrible start to life. She was part of a group of 40 horses that had been abandoned with hardly any food, water or shelter.
She was very nervous, underweight and suffering from a severe eye infection, and we also discovered that she was pregnant but she miscarried because she was too young to carry the foal to full term.
After surgery to remove her eye, which was damaged beyond repair, Molly was nursed back to health at Blue Cross and then put on a tailor made training programme at our Burford rehoming centre.
Molly showed real potential to become an excellent riding pony and, when she was ready, she was rehomed to Ele and her family on a loan agreement.
Ele’s mum, Andrea Sparkes, says: “Molly is Ele’s first pony and we’d already been to see a few with a view to buying privately but none were suitable.
“I found out about Blue Cross via The Pony Club website and when I read Molly’s profile and saw her video online, I thought she looked like a very sweet and willing pony who could be a good match for Ele.
“We went to try her out that weekend and we were absolutely delighted with her.”
Andrea adds: “Molly has adapted so well and you would never know that she only has one eye. She was very excited when we took her out to shows at first, but now she’s an old hand and she really looks after Ele. She’s a fabulous pony and has been great with Ele.”
Check out Molly and Ele in action in their video below.
If you’d like to give a Blue Cross pony a home,visit our horse rehoming pages.