A horse sanctuary is in mourning following the death of Orchid, a mare thought to be the oldest horse in the world. 

The beloved rescue horse, who lived at Remus Horse Sanctuary in Ingatestone, celebrated her 50th birthday in January but was diagnosed with colic, which causes abdominal pain, on Wednesday evening. 

She received round the clock care but eventually staff made the difficult decision to put her to sleep on Thursday afternoon to prevent her suffering any more. 

Orchid was much loved by the staff who cared for her at the sanctuary and kept them all busy, banging on the door of her stable every morning until she got her breakfast. 

As an occasional treat raspberries were a particular favourite as she could suck on them!

Her original owners were not aware of her dental problems and her need for extra care before she arrived at Remus Horse Sanctuary in June 2014.

Prior to this, she was used as a brood mare but was discarded when her usefulness ended. She had been badly beaten, kicked and starved of food and water.

Her spirit was broken and she was ready to die but Remus Horse Sanctuary gave her love and hope and a reason to live.

Sue Burton, Founder of the Sanctuary, said, “This was a devastating decision, Orchid was a beautiful girl but we have to do what is right for the animals, not ourselves.

"With the care she received here, she put on weight, gained strength and her health improved massively within weeks of arriving at the Sanctuary.

"Her time here was a happy one, it was easy to see, especially with her new friend Guinness, and we’ve got lots of memories and some lovely photos.

“To turn an animal around from neglect or abuse, requires a lot of time, care and money. We don’t put an animal to sleep just because it’s old.

"We believe every animal has a right to good health, happiness and love.

"It's what we do at the Sanctuary, our raison d’etre, but to continue these works, we need a serious injection of cash, 2015 has been a really tough year for us.”

For further information, visit www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on tel: 01277 356191.