A CHARITY has warned of the dangers of riding horses and ponies before they are ready after a dead foal was discovered on the side of a rural road.

A member of the public discovered the body of a young coloured pony on a grassy verge besides Horse Close Lane near Trimdon Colliery, County Durham, last Friday (June 5).

The cause of pony’s death has not been confirmed but some residents have pointed the finger at groups of youths, who have been seen riding ponies in the area which are too young.

One resident, who keeps horses, said she was disgusted by the discovery but not surprised.

She said: “You shouldn’t ride the ponies until they are four-years-old but you often see groups of lads riding foals.

“They can’t ride the motorbikes anymore because the police stop them so they use the ponies like engines and dump them when they are done in.

“You see it here and in the Wheatley Hill area. If you say anything you end up with your windows smashed in.”

Tony Tyler, UK deputy chief executive and director of World Horse Welfare, said: “While it is difficult to comment on these incidences of teenagers riding ponies that are too young without seeing them, a horse or pony should never be ridden until it has physically and mentally developed enough to carry the weight of a rider.

“This varies a little from breed to breed but there is certainly a welfare issue when horses are ridden too young as the animal’s muscles, back and joints can be put under strain leading to pain and lameness both at the time and in the future.

“With reference to the photos of the foal which appears to have been dumped, sadly we see horrible sights like this on a regular basis and without a post-mortem it is difficult to know if the pony suffered before death.

“A real problem for owners is the very high cost of disposing of a horse’s body and this may have led to us seeing more dumped carcases in recent years.”

Durham County Council removed the horse, which was concealed behind a hedge, earlier this week.