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This poor old lady was in terrible trouble as she had found her way into the hands of some youths who hit her with sticks and didn't feed her properly. Luckily the local police saw she was in trouble and, with the help of the mayor, confiscated her from them. Having seen Ivan on TV they called us and asked if we would take Helechosa into care.
Ivan set off the very next day and he said that the Mayor of the village was surprised not only that we had turned up but also by how quickly we had responded. Ivan went on to say "When I first saw Helechosa, I have to say she is one of the poorest animals I have seen in a long time, she had a terrible wound caused by beatings on her back and she was so thin you could see every rib in her body. She also had badly deformed hooves that we later identified as chronic laminitis" (a condition that affects the hooves by delaminating them and damaging the interior of the hoof). Her condition was so bad that the ex-rays showed the pedal bone which attaches to the hoof had become detached from the tendon that is supposed to hold it in place.
It was touch and go for Helechosa; she was put in special accommodation that had a large sandpit that allowed her to stand in more comfort and to lie down and rise more easily.
Unfortunately Helechosa's condition did not improve and it was with great sadness that she was put to sleep three months after arrival. The one comfort for her was at least she had the last part of her life with people who loved and cared for her. | 
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