A horse who piled on 20 STONE after being cruelly overfed had hooves so overgrown they looked — like ALADDIN’S SLIPPERS.
Obese Jerry was so fat he could barely walk, a process made even harder by his 12 inch long ‘slippers’.
The native breed was rescued from a farm in Somerset, where he had been forced to live with cows and eat the rich diet of a cattle herd, in March this year.
His hooves, which should have been trimmed every six to eight weeks, had been left for over two years.
Jerry was discovered by horrified officials along with another overweight horse, JoJo, in the field and the pair were given a combined weight loss target of 60 stone.
Six months on, Jerry has lost a staggering 18 stone and is down to 69 stone, while JoJo has shed 20 stone – the weight of a donkey – and is continuing to shed the pounds.
The pair are being cared for at HorseWorld, a horse charity based in Bristol.
Joanne Vaughn, HorseWorld Equine Husbandry Manager, said: ”It was so upsetting to see them both trying to walk on their flipper-like feet.
”Jerry’s hooves measured 12 inches from heel to toe, and were turned up like Aladdin’s slippers.
”Although our expert farrier managed to trim the vast majority of hoof back quite quickly, it will take a long time and specialist trimming for their hooves to become the right shape again.”
During treatment, x-rays showed how Jerry’s hoof bones had rotated and dropped and if they had been left, the bone could have penetrated through the sole of the hoof.
Both Jerry and JoJo have been taking painkillers each day for the last six months and JoJo has been wearing special shoes for support.
Jerry and JoJo’s owner, who fed the horses silage and cow nuts, has now been successfully prosecuted for this act of cruelty.
Joanne Vaughn added: ”When most people think of animal cruelty, it’s a lack of food that comes to mind.
”But as with children, overfeeding with the wrong types of food can be equally unkind.
”The pain these animals went through is unthinkable. This was completely avoidable and an inexcusable case of neglect.”