Foal who called to his dead friend during rescue now has the ‘happy ending everyone hoped for’

A foal who wrung rescuers’ hearts by calling to his dead friend as he was saved from a flooded field has got “the happy ending everyone hoped for”.

H&H reported on Soul, who was rescued by HorseWorld in December 2023, aged about seven months, and went on to become the face of the charity’s Christmas campaign a year later.

He has now been rehomed with his best friend Trigger, another youngster taken into HorseWorld’s care.

“In the depths of winter 2023, a single phone call set in motion a rescue that would heartbreakingly expose the reality of equine neglect and ultimately showcase the life-changing effect of animal welfare charities working together to save lives,” a HorseWorld spokesperson said.

“A member of the public had discovered a dead, emaciated pony lying in a flooded field and immediately contacted the RSPCA. When officers arrived, they found another young pony still alive nearby, painfully thin, weak and fighting to survive. With time running out, the RSPCA called HorseWorld for urgent help.”

The spokesperson said Soul, named to “reflect the quiet strength he had shown against the odds”, was rescued on a very wet day, and that it was clear how hungry he was. But he appeared used to human handling, walking calmly on to the trailer – but calling to his friend, who was lying dead nearby.

The ponies’ owner was prosecuted and Soul started his rehabilitation at HorseWorld.

“Rather than dwelling on the trauma these ponies had suffered, our focus had to be on helping Soul heal both physically and emotionally,” said the charity’s head of equine welfare, Sarah Hollister. “He was still just a baby.”

The pony was the face of HorseWorld’s “Soul’s stable of stars” campaign a year later, celebrating the lives of people’s two- and four-legged loved ones, including Soul’s friend.

“Now, two years on, Soul’s story has the happy ending everyone hoped for,” the spokesperson said. “Fully rehabilitated and thriving, Soul has been rehomed alongside his best friend Trigger; another young rescue pony who grew up with him during their recovery at HorseWorld. Together, the inseparable pair settled into their new home, where they spent Christmas safe, loved and finally at peace.”

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