Mistreated horse lucky to be alive

A BRITISH serviceman in Paphos is raising funds for an abandoned racehorse he rescued a year ago, before he returns home in September.

Kevin Vickers, who has previously rescued a number of stray dogs and cats, found the horse at his home and spent a year and over €6,000 nurturing the horse back to health.

Vickers said: “I arrived home to find a horse that had been dumped at my house hours from death. Lucky, as we subsequently named him, being lucky to be alive, was painfully thin and had horrific injuries.

Little is known about Lucky’s former life or past owners, aside for their shocking disregard for his welfare.

“We cannot confirm exactly where Lucky came from but we now know that he is an ex racehorse and is approximately seven years old. His injuries were conducive to having been tied behind a truck and dragged along the floor. All open wounds were infested with maggots.”

Thanks to Vickers’ efforts, donations and the free services of local vet Katrina Gothorpe, Lucky has almost fully recovered from his wounds and he has begun to trust humans again.

Vickers now hopes to take Lucky to the UK when he returns in September, and he aims to raise 3000 for a horse carrier before July. “The cost for the 10 day journey to the UK will reach approx €3,000 and we need to raise this amount and more to set him up at a saddle club in the UK. Lucky now has a reason to live and despite his previous life and his horrific injuries he is very placid and we have truly fallen in love with him”

Vickers has launched a website where visitors can learn more about Lucky’s story and make a donation towards his upkeep.

The web address is http://sites.google.com/site/luckyappeal/

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