A horse sanctuary has said goodbye to Boo, one of its most well-known and "beloved" animals, who has died at the age of 24.

The horse lost an eye to cancer in March 2009 and was then shot in his other eye at point blank range by intruders at his previous home, leaving him completely blind.

Vets advised it would be best to put boo down but his owner called Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Hapton near Norwich to see if they could offer him a last minute reprieve.

Boo lived at the sanctuary for 12 years and in 2020 Stephen Fry narrated an animated film of his life.

He was put down just before Christmas as lameness and arthritis in his rear legs became too difficult to manage.

In a tribute, Redwings staff described Boo as one of the sanctuary's most "beloved" horses.

Lynn Cutress, Redwings’ CEO, said: “We’re incredibly sad to have had to say goodbye to our dear Boo.

"For me, he summed up just what Redwings is about – providing lifelong specialist care to horses who otherwise would have nowhere else to turn – and through our heartache we take comfort that we were able to give him so many happy years.

“To see his paddock, which is just outside our administrative offices, now sitting empty feels very strange.

"Boo would regularly be found hanging his head over the fence in the mornings waiting to greet everyone as they arrived for work.

"In fact, when our vets had the unenviable job of breaking the news that we were going to lose him, there was a queue of staff outside the horse hospital as everyone wanted to give him a final cuddle.

“The sanctuary will simply not be the same without him.”

During his life Boo was assisted by his "seeing horse" Flynn, allowing him to explore his paddock and gallop to the fence when he heard his name.

To make a donation to the charity in tribute to Boo visit this website.