Britain captivated by six-year-old girl’s quest to save disfigured foal
Six-year-old Maddison Biddlecombe’s fundraising drive to save her pony, Diego, has captured the hearts and minds of a horse-loving nation. Diego was born on May 12 in Poole, Dorset, with Wry Nose Syndrome, a condition in which a horse’s upper and lower jaw grows to one side, making it difficult to graze. Maddison’s mother, Janey Biddlecombe, was advised to put the foal to sleep. But she refused: “Maybe it’s an easy way out but not for me. I don’t agree with putting him to sleep just because he looks different.” Now her daughter is working to raise the £4,000 necessary for Diego’s dental surgery. “Diego is my best friend and I don’t care what he looks like, to me his face makes him special,” the little girl told the Daily Mail, adding “People shouldn’t say he should be put down because of what he looks like, it doesn’t matter to me.” Despite initial difficulties, Diego has learned to suckle well from his mother and is happy, healthy and growing well. “Maddison adores Diego and has formed a great bond with him,” her mother told the paper. “They have even been found cuddled up together asleep in the field in the sun. He certainly knows he’s loved.”