THE story of an elderly pony's search for a home has had a happy end.

Twenty-year-old Millie is now living with new owners in North Yorkshire, where she is enjoying her role as companion to other horses.

Crippled from an early age and badly neglected, Millie's luck changed when she was taken in by rescue centre owner Kate Wilson, from Ramshaw, near Bishop Auckland, who appealed for help through The Northern Echo.

Kate said yesterday: "She has the perfect home. It is great to see her so happy.

"She had had a hard life but is very sweet, and once we had cleaned her up and taken her to the blacksmith and horse dentist, she was fine.

"Her leg had been bent since she was a foal, but she had still been ridden. Thankfully, she won't be put through that again. All she needs is a lot of kindness."