Heartbreak after Shetland Pony killed by falling tree in gale force winds

A Shetland pony who was nine-months pregnant died in a freak accident after being hit by a falling tree in gale force winds.

Cookie died when a “huge” tree fell on her in a paddock as gusts reached 74mph early on Thursday.

The much-loved pony died instantly while her partner Elvis – the father of Cookie’s unborn foal – managed to escape and tried to rescue his mate by biting her ear and leg.

Owner Jade Clube, 25, said they arrived 10 minute after the tree fell, also hitting the ponies’ stable, and Cookie was already dead.

“She didn’t get away quickly enough and died from a blow to her head,” she said.

“If they had been inside, we might have lost them both. You would never think a tree that big could come down.

“If I had known for one moment that could happen, I’d have done anything. I’d have had her in my house.”

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Jade, from Castor, Peterborough, said she fell in love with Cookie when she first saw her at the pony school she was learning at five years ago.

“I said that I wasn’t leaving that school without that pony! She became my nephew’s first pony, when he was just one and two… she was the perfect size for him at the time.”

Cookie was part of the whole village, she said, starring in the nativity at the local church.

“All the kids stroked her on their way to school, she was part of the village – I’ve bought a little plaque to remember her, but I just want my pony back.

“It’s just absolutely heartbreaking, there’s no other way to put it- she was about to give birth in three months.

“You can just see Elvis is completely broken – when Cookie was trapped, Elvis was trying to rescue her by biting her leg and her ear.

“We just had to let him do it, we had to let him realise she was gone- otherwise he would just think we had taken her away from him.”