A YOUNG pony had to put to sleep after it was dumped in a children's play area having suffered a terrible leg wound.
The underweight piebald cob, a colt thought to be around two years old, was abandoned in Cranfield Park, Wickford, after sustaining a serious injury in which the tendons and soft issue in his right rear leg had been severed.
The 12hh pony is believed to have been left in this state for up to two weeks before being ditched in the playground in Cranfield Park Road.
The animal is believed to have belonged to travellers and it is thought that he may have been injured after being tethered.
The cob was spotted by a dog walker, who immediately called the RSPCA.
An RSPCA inspector and animal control officers from Basildon Borough Council arrived at the park at 1pm on January 14.
After consultation with a vet, the decision was taken to put the horse to sleep on welfare grounds.
RSPCA inspector Susan Hammond, who responded to the call, said: "It was terrible, the lower part of his leg was almost flat on the ground and it looked awful.
"I thought the leg must be broken but it wasn't.
"The tendons had been severed and because the injury was left for so long, the wound had become infected as well.
"If his leg had been seen to earlier it could have been operated on and although he would have been lame, his life could have been saved.
"However, due to the extent of this neglect, the leg was beyond repair and a vet made the decision that he had to be put to sleep."
She added: "It is likely the horse belonged to travellers due to his type and the large amount of travellers' horses kept in the area."
It is believed the colt was taken to the park in a horsebox or other vehicle and then walked from the car park into the enclosed play area, a distance of approximately 100 yards.
The RSPCA subsequently contacted members of the local travelling community to try to find out who owned the pony, but no one came forward with any information.
Ms Hammond continued: "There was no way this horse got into the play area by himself.
"It's clear that someone put him there as they knew it was a public place and he would get attention.
"The vet has seen this sort of injury before and agreed that it looked like he had been tethered."
Ms Hammond added that while she had come across cases of horses being dumped before, this was the first time she had seen a such a severe leg injury.
Basildon Borough Council has responded to three reports of dead horses in the past year, and two ponies were abandoned in Northlands Park in March 2012.
If you have any information, call the RSPCA in confidence on 03001 234999.