The ISPCA are a most worthy bunch, friends.  Two of our ponies we adopted from the ISPCA -- a 23-year-old (approximately) mare called Hazel and her seven-year-old daughter called Beauty.  They were owned by a good-for-nothing slug up in Cavan somewhere (if memory serves) who had neglected several ponies before these two.  Unfortunately, all the rest died slow and torturous deaths, but the ISPCA stepped in while Hazel & Beauty were still in decent shape.  They were under the care of the ISPCA for some five or six months until they came home to live a life of being spoiled with us.

Hazel still doesn't like human contact nearly as much as beauty and our Connemara Pony, but she's come a long, long way from where she was before.  I love her for her feisty spirit. :-)

So, all this to say, folks ... please donate a few bucks to help out the ISPCA with their hay drive.  Thanks for posting this, Bit.  Now, I leave you with a photo of the two girls.  Hazel (the white pony in front) is the mother (now about 24 years of age).  She's likely full Welsh Pony (or mostly, anyhow); Beauty (the dappled grey) follows her mommy everywhere.  She's obviously part Welsh, and we're thinking her sire was probably a fairly large cob-type, because Beauty is significantly larger than her mother! :-)