A BEDRAGGLED horse rescued from a Bradford street is going up for adoption.

The grey cob found dumped in a garden and fastened to a gatepost in February this year is now the picture of health and ready for a new loving owner, says the sanctuary workers who took him in.

Trustees at Roleystone Horse Sanctuary in Shipley managed to squeeze the cob and another horse in to its already full to the brim stables after discovering the animals’ plight.

Ellen Hodgkiss whose garden is in Binns Lane, Lidget Green, told the Telegraph & Argus at the time that two men had been seen tying up the cob before driving off in a van.

Ms Hodgkiss, 53, tried ringing the police, the RSPCA, the World Horse Welfare and her landlord Incommunities to take responsibility but with no luck eventually contacted Roleystone Horse Sanctuary which agreed to help.

Seven months on and the cob, named Toby by the sanctuary, has been winning rosettes at competitions and is ready to move on to a new home, said sanctuary trustee Diane Coulton.

It costs about £1,600 a month to keep Roleystone open and that does not include vet, hay and rent fees it has to pay to survive.

Sadly there are occasions when some horses might have to be put to sleep by vets which can cost about £350 to cover, added Ms Coulton.

The sanctuary has 28 horses in its care with more being looked after out in the community but they remain sanctuary horses.

Ms Coulton said: “Toby has come on really well and he is ready for a new home. His manners have improved a lot!

"He was very young when we got him. We’d love to hear from anyone willing to take him on who knows all about looking after horses.”

In February 2016 Bradford Council revealed it had spent more than £310,000 seizing stray horses across the district in the previous four years.

Seized horses are put into a secret-location livery by a council contractor who determines what happens to any ones that are unclaimed, whether they are rehomed or sold at a reputable livestock market. The animals are destroyed as a last resort.

The Control of Horses Act 2015 gives landowners more rights to tackle fly-grazing.

A landowner can now put up an abandonment notice and if the horse is not claimed in four days, has the right to sell it, re-home it or get it put down.

Anyone who wants to help Roleystone Horse & Pony Sanctuary can donate at Barclays Bank, sort code 20-11-88, account number 20838098.