A horse who was "left to die" at the side of the road has made a miraculous recovery, and is now doing things people never thought possible, as he entered a major horse show - and won.
Beautiful Woody was found in a serious condition less than a year ago in Tipperary, Ireland, but he has since made his new owner very proud after winning a second-place prize at the Cork Summer Show in Curraheen.
In October 2022, Woody had been tragically abandoned by his previous owner, and was in a serious state.
Charity 'My Lovely Horse' described Woody's situation as "heartbreaking", and the dedicated team nursed him back to full health.
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By December, Woody was able to be adopted, and he found a loving new home with Orianna - and the charity described the pairing as "love at first sight."
Just a few months later, the lucky horse has made his first day out at the Cork Summer Show, bagging a second-place prize.
The team who rescued Woody say they "are so proud" of the impressive turnaround, highlighting how things could have been very different for the poor horse.
My Lovely Horse said that Woody's original owners "took their tack and cart and ran away and left him there to die."
They said that with the "MLHR Cork team's dedication and vet care, we nursed him back to health", meaning that he was able to live a normal life again.
"He was adopted by Orianna in December 2022, it was love at first sight... at the Cork Summer Show he got second place on his first day out", they shared.
"We are so proud. This is why we work so hard to do what we do, we give them back the life they so deserve, a life worth living."
In the Facebook post comments, there was an outpouring of love for Woody - and the charity.
One person wrote: "This happened up the road from our house that day, we eventually saw a horsebox being towed away from the scene and presumed the poor horse was dead", followed by a crying emoji.
"Absolutely delighted to read this post that he survived & has flourished. Best news ever...Congratulations to Orianna and Woody. Good news story of the day!"
Another said: "Oh my god, this is so nice to see. I passed that poor horse that day as the guards were already there with him but I went home all upset because I thought he was dead. So so relieved to see this, my god."
"What a story and a happy ending", someone gushed.
Do you have a similar story to share? Email: danielle.wroe@reachplc.com