TONY THE PONY REUNITED WITH OWNER AFTER SPENDING A FEW HOURS IN THE CELLS!

By Veronica Corr

On Tuesday social media lit up, with a quirky video posted by Gardaí in Carrickmacross, who apprehended a Shetland Pony on Main Street in the early hours of the morning. The chestnut stallion had apparently escaped from his paddock on the Shercock Road and made his way into town where he was playing havoc with traffic (according to the Cavan Monaghan Garda Division Facebook page). Gardaí were keen to reunite the handsome fellow with his owner, who turned out to be local man Pat Cassidy. Tony the Pony was accommodated in a roofless area within the station that functions as a smoking area for short-term prisoners.

Speaking about this unusual occurrence, Sergeant Joe Glackin, told The Northern Standard: “It transpired that he had walked in from the Shercock Road and had made it as far as Main Street. He started following a man who was walking on Main Street. With the pony following him up and down the street, the man didn’t know what to do, so he came into the Garda Station and the pony followed him in!”

The pony was then taken into the station for his own safety and that of the public. Commenting on the video Gardaí had posted of the pony being led by the reins down the corridor of the Garda Station, Sgt. Glackin said he couldn’t believe it himself, as he wasn’t on shift at the time, adding: “He was walked in the main door and down the corridor, down to a little outside area within the station, it’s like a room without a roof.” Sgt. Glackin continued: “He arrived about half-five this morning and from eight o’clock onwards we were able to send the word out over our social media. The response we got was absolutely exceptional. The post was shared far and wide, and members of the public, who were horse fans or had horses, were phoning in offering to bring in food and people came to the counter with food for him.

“We had local farmers offering to come with a horsebox and look after the pony in a field temporarily, until his owner was found. The public’s interest in the welfare of this pony was phenomenal. There was fantastic interaction from the public and we really did appreciate it.” As it turned out, Tony…