Rescue ponies putting on a great show in West Cork this summer

TWO miniature rescue ponies with larger-than-life personalities are blazing a trail on the agriculture show circuit this summer.

Peanut and Pixie – both about the size of a large labrador – were the stars of the recent Barryroe Show, where they also put the spotlight on the vital work done by animal rescue services.

Oonagh O’Brien adopted Peanut (15) seven years ago. ‘My jump horse had died and I needed a companion for my other horse Cody,’ she explained. ‘He was very distressed and I rang Cobh Rescue Horses to see if they could help.’

Oonagh was told about Peanut, who had failed around 10 foster homes at that point, due to her aggressive and sometimes dangerous behaviour. ‘She had come from bad circumstances and was very traumatised,’ Oonagh remembered, but with the help of Cody she quickly turned a corner.

‘He’s a big gentle horse and he helped her to realise that not all humans were going to hurt her,’ she said.

Around two years ago, Oonagh was forced to rehome Cody due to her back issues, and this time had to find a companion for Peanut.

Peanut was looking a little rough when first rescued.

‘I rang the centre in Cobh again and they told me about Pixie, who is now nine. She was totally different to Peanut, – a very nervous horse who had been used for breeding.

When staff at the centre were removing other horses from a shed, they didn’t even notice her at the back. They just heard a little noise and saw her collapsed,’ she said.

Now it was Peanut’s turn to repay the kindness Cody had shown her.

‘Peanut helped her, and they’re the best of friends,’ said Oonagh, who stables them together in Ballinhassig.

Peanut is a big winner on the awards circuit these days.

The pair are show ponies and have had considerable success in both miniature and rescue classes.

They even have their own Facebook page called ‘The antics of CRH Pixie and Peanut rescue ponies and it has a considerable following, and even sponsors, which makes them practically ‘celebrities’ at local shows.

Pixie came second at the recent Barryroe Show, and Peanut came third.

‘They’ve also done so much to help raise the profile of animal rescues,’ said Oonagh. ‘They show there’s nothing wrong with a rescue horse, that they’ve only been let down and failed by humans, but they can learn to trust people and enjoy life again.’

Any funds earned or won by the ponies is given to Cobh Rescue Horses by Oonagh, who has also campaigned for more rescue and miniature classes to be included at Irish shows, as is the case in the UK. Their next big outing will be Ballygarvan Show on August 24th, said Oonagh.