DEPENDING on your point of view Sue Penny is either the most compassionate or barmiest person in the world when it comes to horses and ponies.
She keeps more than 100 of them, doesn’t ride and spends more than £30,000 a year looking after them.
To fund her hobby she runs a taxi business while at the same time looks after a family of four – she has six children altogether – and squeezes in a minimum of seven hours a day visiting the horses and ponies – some of which she has rescued from the meat trade. Many have been neglected or have been abused and are terrified of humans when they arrive. Others are the casualties of divorce and people who simply don’t have the money to look after their pet during the credit crunch.
She spent hundreds of pounds treating a show jumper at a horse hospital – re-mortgaging her home to help pay the bill.
On one occasion Sue nearly died after she was kicked in the head by a highly-strung animal that was scared by a dog. Her family was called to her bedside when it was thought she might not have long to live.
Sadly the recession has hit Sue’s business hard, although she has a loyal band of regular clients, one of whom kindly gave her £200 for some hay when she was desperate.
She said: “I hadn’t told them about my predicament – they could just tell things were tough, but something always turns up.”
She has been rescuing horses for 30 years and says it is an addiction. Sometimes her days begin at 4am with a run to the airport and rarely end before 10pm.
Sue said: “I realise people think I am totally mad. But I am passionate about horses and when you see a bag of bones that has been neglected or badly treated become happy and well again it is all worth it.”
Her charges are spread over three sites deep in the Worcestershire countryside where all the animals are cared for and receive regular visits from the farrier.
She said: “I have been saving horses ever since I went to a horse auction and realised what happened to the animals that weren’t bought.
“I pledged that I would take in all the horses and foals that I knew were destined for the meat trade.”
As a result Sue set up the Halfpenny Trust and has been awarded charitable status.
It is listed on an approved charities website and she hopes eventually to be self-funding and get more physical help.
A fund-raising walk is planned for the spring.
Sue said: “At the moment it is just my two daughters and myself. My ambition is to have my own land and stables where I can spend more time on the horses and less on driving taxis. I am always desperate for donations.”
● If you would like to donate to the charity, please contact Sue on 07974304695.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article