Sanctuary Nurses 'Horse Set Ablaze'

A young stallion that was horrifically burned in Co Armagh last month has been given a new, caring home.

Cooper was saved by the quick action of a Keady resident after being doused with petrol and set alight by unknown assailants.

The horse has now been placed in the care of Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary near Antrim - the only equine welfare charity in NI.

Named Cooper after being treated by the centre's on-call vet, he has begun a tailor-made feeding programme to aid his recovery.

Lyn Friel, the charity's founder and general manager (pictured with Cooper) said: "Although his burns were not life-threatening they still require daily attention.

"He was very malnourished and will need months of care to bring him back to full health," she said, noting that the incident was in the Annvale Road area of Keady and was reported to police after a member of the public put the flames out and tended to the pony until a vet arrived.

She also explained that volunteers at the centre are hard-pressed with calls on their services: "We average six calls per day from people asking for help or reporting abuse or neglect," Lyn explained.

"The charity is now full to capacity having direct care of 70 different horses and has had to rent isolation stables for new horses arriving," she said, directly appealing for more helpers to assist in care and re-homing.

However, Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary is having its Annual Open Day this Sunday, 5th June from 2-4pm and staging visitors' pony rides, refreshments, site tours, stalls, information on the sanctuary with the hope being that more volunteers and funders will come forward.

See: www.crosskennanlane.org.uk

See: Horses Celebrated

(BMcC/GK)