The pony with ‘ear teeth’ who beat the odds

A pony rescued by our charity after being found tethered, underweight, and in need of help is now ready to find a forever home – following an unusual discovery at the base of his ear.

Two-year-old King came into the care of our Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre after a welfare report about a tethered pony in Bradford in October last year. As the team started nursing him back to health, they investigated a lump near his ear and uncovered something far rarer than anyone expected.

Centre Manager Adam Cummins explains:

“When we started to investigate the lump near the base of his ear, we found out that it wasn’t an abscess at all. Instead, it was a rare developmental defect called a dentigerous cyst, also known as an ‘ear tooth’. These are already uncommon, but King’s case was on another level – he had two teeth in his, which is even more unusual.”

Once his ‘ear teeth’ were removed by a vet, King healed really well and since then, he’s blossomed in the expert hands of the Penny Farm team and is now ready to find a home of his own. Without timely treatment, however, his future could have looked very different.

Our Director of UK, vet Malcolm Morley explains:

“If left untreated, dentigerous cysts can cause life-long pain and result in challenging complications and abscesses. So, what appeared like an unassuming lump could have had some very nasty consequences for King had he not come into our care.”

One of our Field Officers, Sarah Tucker, found the two-year-old Welsh pony, near Bradford after a welfare report. She says:

“I found out that the emergency services had been called out to King multiple times. He’d needed rescuing after sliding down an embankment into a ditch, as well as getting loose and running onto a main road. With his owner nowhere to be found, it was clear King needed to be taken to safety.”

King was signed over into our care and transported to Penny Farm, where he’s been transformed into a happy, healthy young pony. Now aged three, King is ready for rehoming as a youngster with the potential to be brought into work when he’s old enough and has a bright future ahead of him.

If you could give one of our horses and ponies a loving home of their own, check out our rehoming pages.