Warrior, dubbed “the horse the Germans could not hill”, has been awarded a People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) Dichin medal - the horse equivalent of the Victoria Cross - for his bravery during World War I. Warrior’s story is incredible - he left for France on 11 August 1914 and survived the whole war. In September 1914, his groom had to gallop him 10 miles across country to escape encirclement by the advancing enemy. Warrior evaded death several times, once when a shell cut the horse beside him clean in half and a few days later when another destroyed his stable, just seconds after he left it.
Warrior participated in the Battle of the Somme where he readied to gallop with the Canadian Cavalry through a gap that never came. He was almost lost to the tide of mud at Passchendaele and again when a direct hit on the ruined villa in which he was housed left him trapped beneath a shattered beam.
Despite suffering several minor injuries, Warrior returned home victorious to the Isle of Wight in 1918 and lived out his days with the Seely family until his death, aged 33.
General Seely’s grandson, horse racing journalist Brough Scott, accepted the medal and says: “Not many stories told at a mother’s knee make it to the wider stage. Especially if, like that of Warrior in our family, the tale was once renowned but then swallowed beneath the incoming tides of time. “Yet Warrior now rides again thanks to the PDSA, 100 years since he and Jack Seely, my grandfather, went to France with little certainty of a safe return.”
Redwings rescues rare breeds
Six rare breed animals have found refuge at Redwings Horse Sanctuary. Two Suffolk Punch geldings and four Poitou donkeys - including two foals - were taken in by the charity. The Suffolk Punch geldings, Wilf and Stanley, were found in a small barn in Norfolk. Wilf was suffering from sweet itch and both horses had poor feet that had not been trimmed for some time.
The Suffolk Punch is the oldest breed of heavy horse in Great Britain and their lineage can be traced back to the 16th Century. Mechanisation of farming has seen a drastic decline in their numbers, resulting in their critical status on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust watchlist.
The Poitou donkey breed is a rare breed originating from France with only about 400 left in the world. They are renowned for their thick, curly coats and they are one of the largest donkey breeds in the world, standing up to 15hh. You can visit the donkeys at Redwings’ Oxhill visitors’ centre in Warwickshire, open daily from 10:00-16:00.