Look out! Look out! It all happened so quickly: Something slammed into the pony’s side and left her shoulder cut to bits. Her heart was pumping furiously as she went into shock and stood still as a statue in the middle of a busy highway, too terrified to move as blood pooled around her hooves.

A frantic eyewitness called Animal Rahat’s emergency line, urging the team to hurry. Sirens wailing and lights flashing, the rescue team raced to the pony’s side and carefully guided her off the highway.

A pony was led to the side of the road after being hit by a vehicle.

They quickly sedated her, dulling the pain before the adrenaline coursing through her body caused her to panic. Talking to her softly, they cleaned the gaping wound, carefully stitched it closed, and got her stabilized enough to move.

This photo shows the pony’s shoulder after the Animal Rahat team cleaned the wound.

The team knew she was too weak and traumatized to make the trip to the Sangli sanctuary, but luckily, the caller had a space nearby in which the pony would be safe and comfortable. Animal Rahat visited her daily to check on her recovery and change her wound dressings. After a few days, she was well enough to be moved to the sanctuary.

The injured pony is gently loaded into a trailer with fresh hay, ready to make the short trip to an Animal Rahat sanctuary.

When she arrived at her new home, staff greeted the sweet pony with a plate of fresh fruit and an edible flower garland. They named her Gauri and gave her a quiet space all to herself where she could rest, heal, and get to know her surroundings and caretakers. After 21 days of care, she’s now completely healed and making friends with other sanctuary residents. Meet the beautiful Gauri:

Animal Rahat staff welcome Gauri to the Ranapur sanctuary.