ON Tuesday I got a call from my friend, clearly distressed and in need of a battery powered grinder to cut a pony free from an agricultural gate it had decided, at 26 years old, to try to clear. Unfortunately the bold old pony didn’t quite make it over and caught her nearside hind in such a way it was wedged under the fetlock. The poor girl was hanging by one leg and thrashing about to try to free herself, making the whole situation much more grave.