A police horse who was seriously injured following a collision on 8th July has been put to sleep after he did not respond to treatment.
Police horse ‘Rocky’ attached to Avon & Somerset Police was on Beggar Lane Bush just before 14:30 hours on Friday, 8th July, in company with another police horse and their riders when a blue Ford Focus struck him.
Rocky’s rider was taken to hospital in a non-life threatening condition whilst PH ‘Rocky’ was rushed to a local veterinary hospital.
The driver of the blue Focus, a man in his 70’s, was also taken to hospital in a non-serious condition.
On 25th August, the four-year-old chestnut Irish draft cross was discharged from the equine hospital where he was being treated to continue recovering at home.
It was expected at the time that PH ‘Rocky’ would make a full recovery.
While one of his injuries showed signs of improvement, Rocky did not respond to treatment as hoped concerning his other injuries.
A spokesperson for Avon & Somerset Polices’ mounted unit said that this severely impacted his quality of life, meaning that plans to retire Rocky pain-free were not possible.
On Monday, 28th November, officers and grooms said their final goodbyes to ‘Rocky’ and made every effort to make him comfortable before he was put to sleep.
The spokesperson added: ‘Our officers and grooms dedicated themselves to Rocky’s rehabilitation, providing him with expert care along the way.
‘Many of you have followed us through Rocky’s journey to recovery and we thank you for your support.
‘While one of his injuries showed signs of improvement, Rocky did not respond to treatment as we had hoped in relation to the other injury.
‘The Mounted Section are devastated at this outcome, and we ask for your understanding during this incredibly difficult time.’
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There is no comment about the septuagenarian beyond he was basically uninjured. There is a fundamental issue to consider here. A horse is pretty substantial and quite difficult to miss, unless of course the driver’s eye sight was woefully short of the mark. Furthermore, this was not your usual riding hack but rather a highly trained animal well versed in dealing with noise and violence ridden by an equally highly skilled officer.
Around a quarter of the driving public’s eyesight has not been tested and come licence renewal time, people self declare good health and vision. Nobody actually checks. This is nuts.
At photocard renewal time, applications should be accompanied by a proper eye sight test and from 70 onwards, a medical too. There are far too many people driving cars who are medically unfit and this is a total disgrace.