KOCHI: A bay (brown horse) munching on grass by the roadside in a village and that too one not even remotely connected with anything equestrian indeed is a rare sight. But Trinky, the bay, which appeared at Vengoor, Angamaly, one fine morning around a month ago, is today a mascot of sorts for the people there.
The two-year-old horse was found near a local school by George Thettayil, a social worker from the area, who was out for his daily morning stroll. Without a second thought, he took the animal to the verdant patch of land belonging to him at ‘Irattappalam’ in Vengoor.
“She looked almost emaciated when I found her with a plastic rope tied round the neck. She seemed very hungry since day one and ate the entire grass on my plot. Workers from a nearby toddy bottling depot are giving the horse water and banana peels on a regular basis. One of the workers named the horse ‘Drinky’ due to her penchant for water and later she was rechristened Trinky,” said George.
Pointing to its shiny skin and long black mane, George is pretty sure Trinky was never associated with circus or sport. “We checked Trinky thoroughly and haven’t found any marks on her body. If she had bolted from a circus camp, the horse would have lost hair on her back or at least shown some acrobatic moves while walking. But Trinky is quite calm and friendly towards anyone who pats her,” said Thettayil.
Amid the excitement, Trinky’s voracious appetite is a spot of bother to the people. “ I spoke to my friend Fiji Francis, who is a forester, about Trinky’s food addiction. And Trinky was given tablets to regularise her digestion. Thereafter, her life has improved tremendously,” he said.
The horse, which presently survives on people’s benevolence, will soon be adopted by the municipality. “We have decided to look after the horse till its actual owner turns up. If nobody comes, we will hand her over to a zoo,” said MA Gracy, Angamaly municipal chairperson.