ANIMAL lovers are appealing for help to save the life of a horse that falls asleep up to 10 times a day.
Penny, a 14-year-old pure-bred Irish sports horse, suffers from a rare condition called narcolepsy which means she suddenly loses consciousness.
At 5ft 11in and 114-stone, a fall could easily prove fatal for Penny, who was rescued from her previous owners in February.
Her new owners need thousands of pounds to fit her paddock in Howwood, Renfrewshire, with special padding to minimise the damage caused by falling.
The plan also involves buying protective knee pads and other protective clothing for the horse.
Narcolepsy is untreatable and incurable in horses. When the condition is diagnosed, the animals are often put to sleep.
Karen Crawford, a director of charity Animal Support and Rescue, said a vet had diagnosed narcolepsy and advised they “wouldn’t be unreasonable in having her put to sleep”.
Karen, 37, added: “We really don’t want to do that because she’s still quite a young horse and deserves a chance.
“You wouldn’t put your granny to sleep if she kept falling asleep.
“We’ve spoken with our vet, who will continue to monitor Penny closely, and decided we’re going to try to pad the walls and door frame of her paddock to protect her when she falls.
“We’re also hoping to buy a bigger trailer for her.”
The horse, who was rescued by charity founder Jaine McPherson in February, cannot be ridden in case she falls asleep.
And when stable hands feed the horse, they have to be extra careful when entering her paddock in case she crushes them.
Karen added: “We just want to do everything we can to know that we tried.
“If she begins to suffer in any way then we’ll have to make a very difficult decision but for now we’re not giving up on her.”
Penny usually jolts herself awake before falling but has collapsed twice in the past 10 days, suffering minor head and leg injuries.
She was rescued from a farm in an extremely poor condition after being brought over from Ireland.
The charity was able to rescue her from the owner for the “knock down” price of £900
Donations can be made via PayPal using the charity’s [email protected] address.
