Fundraiser for horse's medical bills after being attacked in field

Date published: 28 June 2023

Former Woman of Rochdale Kath O’Donnell and her husband Andy, both of Littleborough, are crowdfunding to raise money towards their cob horse’s medical bills after he was attacked in his field three months ago.

Samson, 32, has been suffering from traumatic laminitis (inflammation in the hoof’s soft tissues) and a rotated pedal bone in his hoof – both which can cause lameness – after he was "brutally attacked" in his field and forced to run until he collapsed from exhaustion.

The morning after his ordeal, an injured Samson could hardly move, leaving Kath and Andy to wonder what had happened. After discovering tyre tracks in the field, the duo – known for their local fundraisers for Cancer Research UK – established that their beloved horse had been chased.

This was further evidenced by severe bruising on the bottom of one hoof, plus injuries to his fetlock.

Due to the cob’s age, insurance has only covered a small fraction of the costs – and Samson’s recovery is expected to take around 12 months. To date, he has undergone surgery on the dorsal wall of his hoof and has been given special support shoes to prevent further sinking and rotating of his pedal bone.

He also dropped a lot of weight after the ordeal, which he has been regaining.

So far, his medical bills have cost £4,000 and he will also need regular vet and farrier visits.

What is laminitis?

Laminitis is a painful inflammation of the sensitive laminae tissue within a horse’s hoof. The laminae connect the pedal bone in the hoof to the hoof wall.

During laminitis, the tissue becomes weakened and stretch, which can cause the pedal bone to separate from the hoof wall, causing it to rotate and sink. In severe cases, the bone can be seen coming out of the sole of the hoof and can prove fatal.

If the bone has rotated too much, or is not treated, this can cause compression of the tissue under the pedal bone, leading to loss of bone, abscess formation and sinking of the bone.

Kath said: “Samson was brutally attacked in his field by some thug, or thugs, who went into his field and forced him to run into the ground until he collapsed from pure exhaustion.

“He was in his field, his home, happily enjoying life at his old age of 32. I really cannot get my head around why anyone would do such a thing.

“This has caused him – and us – so much stress, anxiety and anger. This should never have happened to him and he could have easily been killed. We don’t exactly know what it was, a motorbike or something powerful with two tyres as it went up the steep hill in the field before frightening the horses and causing them to bolt.

“Thankfully, he is a fighter. He is making very slow progress and we have a long way to go yet as his pedal bone has dropped through the trauma. He still enjoyed being ridden and was fit for his age, which I believe has helped him to get through this horrific ordeal.

“We are thankful for everyone’s support, help, donations to help him recover and everyone involved in his recovery.”

Donations can be made via GoFundMe:

• www.gofundme.com/f/samson-story