Match of the neigh: Pony shows off his impressive footballing skills including passing, dribbling and shooting

By Daniel Miller


Hoof it up the park: Football-mad pony Gray loves nothing more than a quick kickabout


Move over Wayne Rooney, this young foal's got an eye for goal, and he can't half hoof it up the park.

Football-obsessed pony Gray isn't bothered bout gymkhanas or galloping through the fields. All he wants is to get out in his paddock for a kickabout.

Like a four-legged Pele, he canters around with the ball seemingly glued to his hooves, dazzling onlookers with his impressive touch.

Nice dribble: Gray, a Bashkir-type pony, has put in hours of practice around the paddock to perfect his skills

Shifting from side to side through the snow Gray, a Bashkir-type pony, appears to have mastered passing, dribbling and shooting after putting in hours of practice.

And at full time he can't resist celebrating his first class performance with owner Anna Popova by giving her a sloppy lick across her face.

The funny moment was captured by keen snapper Olga Itina after photographing Anna riding five-year-old Gray at her home in Volokolamsk, Russia.


Nice touch: Gray proves he's no one-trick pony having mastered passing, shooting, dribbling and heading


WAG: Gray celebrates another goal by giving owner Anna Popova a big sloppy lick across her face

She said: 'It's just like watching a real football match when Gray chases the ball - he is really happy, enjoys the action and gets stuck in.

'I have never seen a horse playing with a ball before so was amazed to see how comfortable he was with it.

'Gray can do almost anything when he has a ball at his feet and is always in control of it.

'He is very fond of Anna. They are really close and have a great relationship.'



source:dailymail

Plague of the pet horses: Bailiffs move in on town where people keep ponies in front gardens

By LOUISE BOYLE

Trapped: A pet pony is kept in a front garden in fear of being seized by bailiffs after a council crackdown in Tipton

Horse lovers are battling their local council over the long-standing tradition of keeping horses tethered on public land near their homes.

Sandwell Council has been employing bailiffs to remove stray horses and charging owners who want them back in Tipton in the West Midlands.

The council has defended its measures, saying it is in the interest of public safety. The local authority estimated there are up to 60 horses grazing or left untethered in Tipton and up to ten roaming free.


Horse owner Steve Bradwich stands next to his horse, one of many horses tethered on land that may be seized by bailiffs

Several horses have been spotted in a park, which includes a children's play area and is a popular spot with parents and toddlers.

Bailiffs have been issuing enforcement notices to owners which gives people 24 hours to remove their animals or face having them impounded.

Horse owners have defended the tradition and are set to protest against the council by staging a ‘horse drive’.


Tradition: Horse lovers in Tipton are battling the council over the local practice of keeping their horses tethered on public land near their homes

Locals claim the practice has been passed down through the generations.

It is believed to have begun in the age of the canal when many local men used their horses to tow barges through the Black Country, an area of heavy industry.


My lovely horse: Owner Steve Bradwich stands next to his horse, one of many horses tethered on land that may be seized by bailiffs


Hungry horses: The council has been rounding up the animals in Tipton after they said that many are grazing illegally


source: dailymail

That's a pony and trapped! Unfortunate animal has to be cut free after getting trapped inside tractor tyre

By WIL LONGBOTTOM

Stop horsing about: Smila the pony got herself trapped inside a tractor tyre after apparent slipping over and falling into it while grazing in Limmer, Germany

A horse lover was left with a wheel emergency on her hands - after her pony Smila got trapped inside a huge tractor tyre.

Marlene Schmidt, 30, from Limmer, Germany, believes the horse had been trying to graze on fresh grass under the tyre when she slipped and fell head first into it.

The unfortunate animal was left trapped inside the tyre with one of her hind legs poking out and her head pushed into the ground.


This is getting a little tyred now: Firefighters used mechanical cutting equipment to free the terrified animal


Firefighters had to use hydraulic cutting equipment - normally used to rescue people from the wreckage of car crashes - to eventually free the terrified pony.

Fortunately, Smila was unhurt in the incident, apart from a few dents to her pride.

Ms Schmidt said: 'She's very playful and often gets into scrapes.

'But I am just happy that nothing worse happened.'


Why the long face? Smila bounds to her feet after her indignant ordeal as the tyre is finally cut in two


source: dailymail

Gypsy gang 'deliberately drowned' elderly pony in lake in front of horrified families

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Killers: The gang deliberately drowned a pony by pushing it into Hawkley Lake, in Pinewood Park, near Yateley in Hampshire, until it was completely submerged


Police are hunting a gang of thugs who deliberately drowned a pony by pushing it into a lake.

Horrified onlookers spotted the group of 12 men and boys forcing the two-year-old animal and its trap into the 8ft-deep water.

Officers are also investigating reports the yobs used sticks to beat the piebald cob pony as it tried desperately to haul itself out of Hawley Lake, near Farnborough, Hampshire.


Crime scene: The RSPCA and Hampshire Police have launched a joint investigation into the incident


They also tried to push in two other ponies, also attached to their traps.

A horrified 21-year-old walker trying to rescue the first pony was kicked in the head and knocked unconscious by the panicking animal.

He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to Frimley Park Hospital but has since been discharged.


Hauled out: Army Divers and Hampshire Fire and Rescue recovered the pony's body from the lake


Unable to clamber out, the pony tried to swim to the other side but was dragged down by the wooden trap and drowned on Saturday afternoon.

The body was removed from the lake by Hampshire Fire Service firefighters with the help of Ministry of Defence divers, who use the lake, in a three-hour operation.


source: dailymail