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Sheriff's Rescued Horse Gives Birth To A Little Filly

LANCASTER (CBS) — Sgt. John Hargraves rescued two horses last year and as nature would have it, he now has another mouth to feed.

Ladybug, who had been abandoned in Lancaster, and Dude, whom he also adopted last year, was among 11 starving horses seized in Santa Clarita.

He nursed the pair back to health in the hope he might be able to use them as part of his job with the Mounted Enforcement Detail. Both horses soon filled out, but Hargraves said Ladybug just kept gaining weight.

A veterinarian confirmed Ladybug was pregnant and, on Thursday, he went to check on the horses before dawn when he heard Ladybug whinnying. When he turned his flashlight toward the mare, he saw an extra set of eyes.

The newborn, he said, is a reddish color like her mother, with a star-shaped patch of white on her forehead. Hargraves said he was thinking of calling the little filly "Star" or "Diamond."

He said he expected to be riding the new pony as part of his job in a few years.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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