A fundraising campaign has been set up to save the life of a beloved horse.

Silver, kept at stables in Meopham, requires surgery to remove her right eye due to conditions called uveitis and keri­titis. They cause severe swelling of the eye and have already robbed her of its sight.

The conditions are extremely painful and without the operation she will have to be put to sleep. Owner Tracy Griggs is aiming to raise £3,500 to fund the operation and immediate aftercare.

“She was kept for many years in Erith until she got ill and is now in stables in Meopham receiving treatment,” said Tracy.

“Vets tried to save her eye and she was in hospital for 10 days, but to no avail. Silver is 26 years old and has lost her sight in her right eye."

"She now needs an operation to remove the eye, as this condition will keep flaring up and is very painful for her. Without this operation she will have to be put to sleep.”

Silver is given painkillers on a daily basis and cannot leave her stable during daylight hours because of the effect UV rays will have on her eye.

Tracy says her beloved horse is on borrowed time.

“It will flare up again, it’s just a matter of when,” she said.

“Her medication is given to her every two hours to try and keep her as happy and comfortable as possible. If it got worse we’d have to put her sleep because it wouldn’t be fair for her to go through so much pain.”

Silver has already endured enough trauma for a lifetime. Tracy found her at the age of 12 in an awful condition: flea-­ridden, abandoned and pregnant. Her foal survived against the odds and it is hoped Silver will now do the same.

Tracy is grateful for the support her campaign has received thus far. Silver is a popular horse and those who know her are keen to see her recover.

“I am over the moon that people have been giving,” said Tracy.

“She is such a popular horse and is really well known in the area. Children call her the princess pony because of her white hair – she sticks out like a sore thumb in the fields.

“She’s a very gentle and good- natured horse and children really do love her.”

Despite the support so far, Tracy is still well short of her £3,500 target. She hopes to raise the money as quickly as possible to give Silver the best possible chance of survival.

You can donate to the cause at gofundme.com/silverseye