SPCA rescues pony pulling three times its bodyweight

A 360kg pony was seized by the SPCA after allegedly being forced to pull a 1,288kg load in Cape Town. A 360kg pony was allegedly forced to pull a load weighing 1,288kg, more than three times its own body weight, before being seized by the SPCA in Cape Town. According to the SPCA, the incident took place on February 19, after City of Cape Town Law Enforcement alerted inspectors to an overloaded cart horse.

Inspectors said they found a small pony pulling a cart loaded with the body of a vehicle and various additional items, as well as two adult occupants. The load appeared excessive for an animal of that size, the organisation said. The pony was seized at the scene and transported to the SPCA’s Horse Care Unit for assessment and care.

The SPCA said the pony was weighed after being removed and found to weigh 360kg. The cart load, excluding the two adult occupants, weighed 1,288kg. “The pony was being forced to pull more than three times his own body weight, which is in clear contravention of recognised standards and constitutes cruelty,” the SPCA said.

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The organisation said SANS 1025-2015 Animal Drawn Carts, read together with the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962, provides that working horses should not pull more than double their body weight. The seizure follows a similar case reported in the Cape Argus in January 2026,when a pony in Kensingtonwas removed after allegedly being forced to pull a load estimated to exceed three times its body weight. The SPCA said overloading can cause muscle and joint strain, long-term orthopaedic damage and respiratory distress, and increases the risk of collapse, injury or death.

The organisation said its inspectorate would proceed with legal processes in terms of the Animals Protection Act. The pony remains in the care of the SPCA’s equine team, where its condition will continue to be monitored.

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