Horse, hurt by 120 paintballs, is saved

The SPCA and New Holland, Pennsylvania, police investigated an incident after a horse was found abandoned and malnourished in a stall at New Holland Sales Stables. The horse's name was Lily, a white pony mare named after the flower that represents the risen Savior at Easter.

Lily was emaciated, blind in one eye and with an ulcer in the other, and covered with what appeared to be up to 130 paintball hits. Luckily, Omega Horse Rescue found Lily and provided vet care for the abused horse at New Bolton Center at Kennett Square, a leading veterinary hospital.

She was in quite a bit of pain when the vets began treating her.

They'd hoped to save one or both of her eyes, but unfortunately, one had to be removed. SPCA Director Susan Martin was saddened by the pony’s pain. "It was disturbing and upsetting," she said. "What took me back was how sore the horse was when I touched her. Horses can tolerate a lot of pain, but because she was so thin, there was no muscle to cover its bones. My guess is that the shots potentially bruised the bones." Fortunately, Lily's luck was about to turn.

That's when comedian Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey stepped in.

The former host of “The Daily Show” owns a farm in New Jersey where he and Tracey house and care for a number of animals that have been rescued.
Tracey posed with Lily when her adoption was made public. A Go Fund Me campaign set up for donations to help with Lily's medical expenses brought in $7,480 and is now closed.

Authorities were offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who could shed light on who abused Lily after she was dropped off at the New Holland Sales Stable.

Clarification on story Jan 2019: A previous version of the story failed to clarify that Lily had multiple saviors. Omega Horse Rescue found and provided the vet care at New Bolton hospital for Lily while Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey later adopted her.
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