THE Horses and Ponies Protection Association is warning people not to buy horses on impulse.
The advice follows the charity, which is based at Shores Hey Farm, Briercliffe, having to rescue a mare which was dumped in a field after she was bought.
The animal, called Whinney, was bought as a rideable animal and delivered to a yard on the Wirral.
However, the owner never returned.
Whinney spent two months in a field and when found by the RSPCA was lame and suffering from rain scald, an eye infection, a swollen knee joint and a foot abscess. HAPPA welfare officer Collette Rushworth said: "Please think long and hard before buying any horse.
"They are a massive commitment in both time and money."
Whinney is now recovering at HAPPA's Northern Rescue Centre, in Halifax Road.
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