An injured pony that was abandoned and taken in by a Brentwood rescue centre has had to be put down.

Crystal was rescued by Hopefield Animal Sanctuary last month after the charity received a call about the Welsh pony being abandoned after it was tied to a fence.

Hopefield took her in and tried to treat her injuries, but said she was in too much pain.

Leanne Angliss, manager of the sanctuary, said: “At first we thought it was a neurological problem, but her leg got worse. The vet said she had two breaks to her pelvis and one to the top of her leg and it must have been caused by something like another horse kicking her or a car hitting her. The injuries were about six-months old.

“We think she was hit by a car and left in a stable, but when she didn’t recover she was left to die.”

She added: “We were hoping that her muscles would start to build up to support her leg, but she couldn’t walk, she was on a high dose of painkillers, and was in absolute agony.”