We are saddened to announce the passing of retired Sponsorship Star and much-loved Thoroughbred, Sophie. 18 year old Sophie had been struggling with deteriorating unmanageable lameness, and sadly, despite receiving the very best care and pain relief from our experts, she was no longer comfortable and the decision was made to euthanise her.
Sophie became part of the Bransby Horses family in 2004 at the tender age of one at the request of the RSPCA. Sophie spent most of her time on our Visitor Centre Yard enjoying attention from the public and our teams before her retirement. Visitor Centre Yard Team Leader, Shell Craven said, “I was doing weekend work at Bransby when Sophie arrived with her friend Bambi. Sophie had a large wound on her leg that needed immediate treatment but we soon discovered she was very accident prone.”
Sophie soon made an impression on the teams who cared for her and also made many four-legged friends at Bransby, including Emerald and Tanzanite, Justice and Poppy. She could also be seen modelling rugs to promote our popular Donated Goods and Tack sales.
Sophie’s lameness issues were initially managed with front shoes which she did not like wearing and the team could often be found chuckling while watching her trying to take them off in a way only Sophie knew how. She was frequently found without them on after managing to pull her shoes off entirely, much to the team’s frustration. This led to the introduction of hoof supplements to strengthen the condition of her foot and specialist farrier treatment.
Sophie’s sassy demeanour led her to become one of Bransby Horses most popular Sponsorship Stars, with her shoe antics providing great amusement to readers of her Sponsorship updates. Shell said, “Sophie had always been an interesting character and not the most patient of mares but I have always been fond of her since that first day in 2004. She was always such a popular Sponsorship Star and loved meeting her adoring fans when they came to visit. The team and I will miss her greatly.”
Sophie spent her last day turned back out with her herd in the company of friends as our teams also made the time to visit her and say their goodbyes to one of our most popular residents. Sophie was given such caring dedication since her arrival as a yearling and was a real credit to all those that looked after her. Our thoughts are with those who held Sophie close to their hearts.
