Cape Cod pony on road to recovery after brutal attack

HARWICH — Scottie left his stall and went for a walk Monday. Not exactly a major event in most equestrian circles, but for this 7½-year-old Welsh pony it was a milestone on the long road to recovery.

Sometime late Feb. 8 or early Feb. 9, someone broke into the barn at CB Equestrian in Harwich, released some stabled horses, then tied Scottie to a fence and impaled him with a broken pitchfork handle.

A horse farm staff member found the pony with the hickory handle protruding from his abdomen. A veterinarian removed the handle and Scottie was taken to a large-animal hospital in Rhode Island, where surgeons found no major organ damage, cleaned the body cavity and put the pony on intravenous antibiotics. Last weekend, the IV was removed and Scottie was allowed outside. Within a week he will be ready for rehab.

“His appetite is great. He was very happy to get out of the stall and be able to roll,” owner Susan Buchanan, of Marstons Mills, said. “He’s feeling like a regular old pony.”

Buchanan and Scottie’s trainer, Claire Bangert, who owns CB Equestrian, said they check in with police every day to see if there are any new developments in catching whoever injured Scottie.

“The police are working on it. They have promised to keep us up to date with any leads,” Bangert said. “Hopefully we’ll find some answers.”

Bangert opened a GoFundMe account to help Buchanan with the veterinarian bills. The response was far more than the two anticipated, with 928 donors contributing nearly $44,000 in a week.

So many donations came in such a short time that the fund quickly surpassed its $25,000 target, the rough estimate given by veterinarians for surgery and follow-up care. Buchanan shut the account down Sunday, but it takes 48 hours, she said, to officially close the spigot.

“We’re floored, stunned,” Bangert said. “I’m blown away by the generosity of people.”

Buchanan said the donations have mainly been of the $25 to $50 variety. Anything left over from Scottie’s medical bills will be converted into a fund to help other equines, Buchanan and Bangert said.

The response by so many people helped restore Buchanan’s positive outlook on humanity.

“It helps get you through the dark nights,” Buchanan said. “We don’t have a lot of money, and these facilities (animal hospitals) are very expensive. Equine surgery is very expensive.”

Buchanan and Bangert said they were not sure what expenses were ahead to completely rehabilitate Scottie, who was a show horse and jumper. They are not sure whether he will be able to compete again.

For now, it’s enough to see Scottie return to a semblance of normality.

“He’s a remarkable pony,” Buchanan said. “He’s as friendly as ever.”