A second mystery horse abandoned on church land in Epsom has been retrieved by its owner the day after work started to create a £2.8m church centre on the site.
The horse, known as Pinto, was found on land in Ruxley Lane on April 23.
It replaced a larger male horse, known as Barry or Champion, which was left in the same spot on Boxing Day.
Concerned neighbours said many organisations would be happy to provide a home for the first horse, but the RSPCA said it had not been officially abandoned, so it could not be rescued.
The same worries were raised about Pinto, which was again being fed and cared-for by residents who were alarmed at its welfare with the re-development of the land imminent.
But Pinto was retrieved by its owner just as work got underway to prepare the site for development last Wednesday.
Reverend Stuart Thomas, of Ruxley Church, said: "The second horse was removed from the land last Wednesday (May 16) evening - a horsebox was spotted there.
"The owner has removed it and recognised that the horse’s well-being was better catered for elsewhere.
"There were certain local negotiations and the situation was resolved - not least because of the preliminary work starting on the site last Tuesday (May 15). The owner realised there were better places to graze the horse."
A spokeswoman for the diocese of Guildford, which owns the land, said: "We are now on the very brink of work starting which is hugely exciting for church members, the community and the diocese as a whole.
"A new church centre has been a long time coming - six years in fact - and the arrival of two different ponies over the last few months were extra twists in an already long tale. However, the owner retrieved the pony just as work began to prepare the site."
She said the preliminary work on the land will pave the way for the £2.8m construction project to begin properly - for which funds still need to be raised.
She added: "Once the final go-ahead is given the parish and the whole community can begin fundraising in earnest to find the extra funds needed to complete this project and Ruxley Church can look forward to serving its community in a new and exciting way."
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