THE devastated owner of a pony killed in a crash in the New Forest has warned drivers to “stop playing Russian Roulette with our ponies.”
Sarah Weston, the owner of four-year-old pony named Juma said she feels “devastated and defeated” following the incident which took place around 9.30pm on Saturday in Roger Penny Way.
She told the Daily Echo: “I’ve put a lot of love into this pony. He wasn’t just a pony. He was special. I’ve put a lot of work into keeping him as safe as possible. And it all comes to nothing.”
Ms Weston described having to “drag” the mother of the foal away from its body.
In a post on Facebook, she added: “She cried out for him every step of the way while I just cried my eyes out.”
She added that Juma “gave [her] joy every day.”
“These ponies had kept their boy safe for every moment of his life, sandwiching him between them when they crossed the roads when he was a baby; he was born middle-aged and never ran about stupidly even when he was very young.
“I cannot begin to tell you what it is like to find messages from the Agister on your phone at the wrong time of night and know that it can only be bad news. To imagine which of your ponies it will be.”
Though this is the first time one of Ms Weston’s ponies has died in an incident, there have been similar crashes on New Forest roads.
Four ponies were killed in a collision with a Land Rover on the same road in December last year.
This came just three weeks after three donkeys were also killed on the route.
A statement on Facebook posted by campaign group New Forest Roads Awareness read: “We hope by reading [about this incident], it might make a few people think more about livestock being on the roads, especially when driving at night.”
Juma was wearing a reflective collar at the time of the collision.
When asked what message she had for drivers in the New Forest, Ms Weston said: “Stop playing Russian roulette with our ponies.
“Drive with care, respect the ponies.
“People care abut these animal. They love them. They don’t want to see them obliterated.”
Last month, Hampshire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, visited the Forest to discuss a raft of issues, including calls for speed cameras to be installed on the B3078 Roger Penny Way.
Hampshire Constabulary have been asked for further details.
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