In February, we were alerted to a pony found wandering in the road in Roydon. We reached out to other rescues for help, but like us, they were all at breaking point. She had nowhere to go… so we knew we had to step in.

We named her Elle-May.

From the moment we saw her, it was clear she desperately needed help. She was emaciated, exhausted, and incredibly poorly — but she hadn’t given up.

Queens Equine Hospital came out to us as an emergency. They examined her and took bloods. Although we didn’t yet have a confirmed diagnosis, we strongly suspected Lawsonia — an illness we had only just helped our other pony, Joey, recover from. Elle-May was started on medication straight away.

When her blood results came back, they were deeply concerning. Her infection markers were through the roof, and her albumin levels were very low. Despite this, she showed incredible strength — she was eating, drinking, and taking her medication like a champion. We remained hopeful.

As Elle became a little stronger, we began taking her on short daily walks with the boys, Bertie and Joey, to gently stretch her legs, as she had been stabled due to how poorly she was.

Sadly, Elle then took a turn for the worse. The vets were called out again, her medication was increased, and a new plan was put in place. We were told she was comfortable but critical — there was still hope, even if it was small. And as long as Elle kept fighting, we fought alongside her.

We took turns to stay with her, giving her love, comfort, and endless cuddles.

Two weeks after her arrival, we found Elle down and unable to get up. We tried everything, but nothing was working. We sat with her, holding her, telling her how much we loved her. As we reached for the phone to call the vets… she found the strength to get back up, began grazing, and slowly walked back to her stable.

But heartbreakingly, the following day when we arrived, Elle had collapsed again. Her temperature had spiked, and deep down, we knew.

As a team, we made the devastating decision to let her go.

We sat with her while we waited for the vet, stroking her, talking to her, telling her how loved she was. The vet gently confirmed what we already knew in our hearts… and Elle-May was given the peace she deserved.

We are completely heartbroken.

But we take comfort in knowing that, in the last two weeks of her life, Elle-May knew nothing but love, warmth, and kindness.

Run free, beautiful girl.
No more pain.
Rest in eternal peace, Elle-May 💔