A starving horse pulled from a water-filled ditch by animal rescuers has started a new lease of life as it recovers from months of malnutrition.

The chestnut-coated pony had been found apparently abandoned after passers-by spotted it stuck overnight in a drainage ditch in Ducherow, Germany, on 31st May.

Equine experts from Animal Rescue Vorpommern-Greifswald told how the animal was so weak after months of dehydration it could barely stand.

And cruel pictures show it was so skinny you could count every rib along its emaciated body.

Rescuers received a phone call from someone who’d seen the animal’s plight as it stood stuck fast in the rain.

The rescue group said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Since he couldn’t reach the vet in the evening, he turned to us.

“Another one of the deployments that made us look deep into the abyss of humanity.”

The horse is now recovering under the care of a veterinary group on a nutritious diet of hay and oats.

Rescue group spokesperson Klaus Kraft told Newsflash in an interview: “According to our information, the horse is already doing much better. It looks promising that it will recover.”

Meanwhile, reports local media. a legal complaint has been filed against the horse’s owner who was not named.