World Horse Welfare: Fresh start for ‘gentle giant’ Seamus - left to starve in a field with no grass

A rare Scottish draught horse has been given a new lease on life, after he was found in a barren field so thin he could barely carry his own weight.

The 15-year-old Clydesdale, called 'Seamus', was rescued and rehabilitated by animal welfare charity World Horse Welfare. The charity said he had been discovered slowly starving to death in a field with no grass in Northern England, and the gentle giant was so thin that it was touch-and-go as to whether he would survive.

But thanks to the intensive care he received at its Lancashire Rescue and Rehoming Centre, Seamus has now made a full recovery - and been successfully rehomed back to his native country of Scotland. He is now the face of World Horse Welfare's latest fundraising appeal, to help raise money for the hundreds of horses rescued and rehomed by the charity each year.

Field officer Seema Ritson, who rescued Seamus from his barren hillside field, said she was shocked to see what looked like "a giant skeleton", with bare patches of flesh where there should have been a thick, brown coat. "I could see he’d had to crane his neck through the fence to reach any morsel of forage, but this was simply not enough to sustain him," she said.

The huge horse's recovery process took more than eight months. But his rescuers said his calm and gentle nature persisted despite his previous neglect, and Seamus quickly found a new home as soon as he was ready.

Ms Ritson said that previous donations had helped make his rescue possible, and any amount people could afford to donate could be life-changing. "It’s only thanks to donations from those that care about horses that we are able to do this, and we desperately need to be there for so many more horses like Seamus. Donations could help us rescue horses in need and provide them with round the clock care, rehabilitation and a brighter future."

Seamus was rehomed with new owner Nikky, and has been her first heavy breed. "Although we are experienced with horses, caring for a Clydesdale has been a learning curve as big as him," she said.

"Transport was a bit tricky due to his size, but we found an experienced transporter of Clydesdales to bring him home to Scotland," she continued. "We cannot thank World Horse Welfare enough for giving him a chance of life and entrusting us with his follow-on care."

Clydesdales are a Scottish breed traditionally used for pulling heavy farm machinery. They are currently classified as 'at risk' by the Rare Breed Survival Trust, with numbers falling as they were replaced by machines.

The draught horse breed can reach huge sizes, growing to be more than 180cm tall at the withers, and weighing up to 1,000kg.