‘Incredible pride’ as foal found emaciated and covered with maggots crowned champion

A pony who was found collapsed, emaciated and covered in maggots has stood champion at the Royal Norfolk Show.

Redwings Horse Sanctuary’s Matty took the overall rescue title at the event on Thursday (27 June).

The charity took Matty in with maggot-infested wounds 11 years ago; he had been found dehydrated and covered in lice and sores, lying in a field. He recovered fully at Redwings and now lives with rehomer Sarah, one of the charity’s vets.

Six of Redwings’ equids competed in the rescue classes and the charity’s vet Nicola Berryman was there to watch, having also been present at their rescues.

“To see them all do so well has made me so incredibly proud,” she said. “I remember all their rescues, but Matty’s story does stick in my mind, and it was me who introduced Sarah to Matty. It was Sarah’s first day working at Redwings, and he was a tiny and weak young foal. Sarah fell absolutely in love and then patiently waited to rehome him when he was older – and the rest, as they say, is history!”

The reserve champion was also a rehomed Redwings horse, Redwings Edward who lives with guardian Claire.

“In a brilliant day for Redwings, the largest horse welfare charity in the UK, Redwings Jerome and Guardian Milly took second in the in-hand rescue class after Matty came first, and Redwings Honey and guardian Elli-May came second in the veteran rescue class behind Edward,” a spokesperson for the charity said. “Redwings Yarn and Redwings Destiny, who had been attending the show’s rescue village to help promote rehoming a rescued horse, came fourth and fifth in the in-hand class respectively.”

Redwings CEO Lynn Cuttress said she felt “incredible pride”.

“These horses came to us from such terrible backgrounds, some of them in utterly awful condition like Matty,” she said.

“To see them as they are today, well, it’s like a dream and the reason we do the hard work that we do. Their guardians of course deserve so much credit, and it’s wonderful to see the love they have for their guardian horses.”

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