THIS is the brave little boy who spent all his money to rescue a severely injured horse and had to walk home with his pockets turned out.

John Curtis junior (11) from Seagull Flats, Crumlin Road, Dublin, spent €8 on the horse after seeing the terrible state the animal's feet were in and immediately gave it over to the DSPCA.

"The man was hitting it. She was in real pain," he told the Herald. "She didn't have any shoes; she was jumping up and down with pain. It was horrible."

Crippling

John had been given his bus fare but had to part with it to save the stricken animal.

"I spent all the money I had and then I had to walk home too," he said.

Orla Aungier, communications manager for the DSPCA, was full of praise for John and described his actions as "ultra-brave".

"He's a very brave little Dublin lad to approach those men as he did," she said.

"Without doubt he has saved this animal from a crippling injury and a life of misery."

Orla said that the pony will be okay -- but the road to recovery will be a long one.

"We had the farrier with us this morning and he told us that with intensive treatment lasting over a year, she should recover," she said.

"Basically the farrier will build orthopaedic shoes for the horse and the vet will continue to monitor her condition."

The boy's father John Curtis senior (48) said he was "really proud" of his son.

"He's always been into animals, especially horses," he said. "He goes to Smithfield every month to see them.

"He's had rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs. He really looks after them and takes full responsibility for feeding and cleaning them."

John junior and his brother Luke (9) are smitten with the arrival of a new pet dog.

John said: "I love animals. I bought a Jack Russell at Smithfield as well. His name is Tiny. He's so small and cute."

The DSPCA general manager Jimmy Cahill described John as a "genuine horse lover" and was so thankful that "there was a child willing to do something about it [the injured pony]".

Incidences of cruelty to horses have seen a dramatic rise in 2009, following over-breeding in recent years, increases in the cost of food and the diminishing value of equine stock.

"Typically the Dublin SPCA rescues approximately 40 horses a year, but by end of August 2009 we were approaching 90 and the numbers grow each week," said Mr Cahill. "Our resources are being pushed to the limit and we are fearful of every market that is allowed to take place and the anguish this causes to mistreated horses."

hnews@herald.ie

- Cormac Byrne