Starving foal rescued from muddy field in Great Bowden after passers-by raised the alarm

The severely emaciated six-month-old horse was seized in a joint operation involving the RSPCA, police and a local vet.

The animal was rescued from the field off Langton Road on the edge of Market Harborough on Tuesday after worried local people raised the alarm.

The field had been turned into a quagmire of deep thick mud and water by weeks of torrential rain and the grass destroyed.

Insp Ann Bennett, of the RSPCA, went out to the scene with a vet who confirmed the foal was emaciated and had to be rescued.

As a result the desperately-thin young horse was immediately taken into the care of the animal welfare charity.

Local animal-lovers have managed to keep the foal they have affectionately called George alive by feeding him through the wet winter.

The pony is now progressing well under expert veterinary care as he starts to put weight back on.

There were five other yearlings in the mudbath of a field with George but they appeared to be in good health.

The RSPCA is now urgently appealing to the public for help as they try to track down the animals’ irresponsible owners.

Insp Bennett said: “We have no idea who is responsible for this foal or the other yearlings in the field so we are appealing for information.

“We were able to seize this foal because a vet decided he was suffering unnecessarily - as he was emaciated under his thick coat.

“But as the others are in reasonable health we are unable to remove them at the moment.”

She added: “Fortunately, local people have been feeding the horses otherwise they all would have suffered as there is no grass for them to graze on.

“We are so grateful to the kind members of the public in situations like this and are pleased they were able to alert us to the poorly foal.

“I would like to appeal to anyone with information about who owns the horses to contact me on the RSPCA appeals line number 0300 123 8018.”