Lily, the abused pony adopted by Jon Stewart, dies after fall

A horse that was abandoned half-blind and covered with paint in a Lancaster County stable and became famous after being adopted by comedian Jon Stewart and his wife Tracey has died.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we share with you that dearest, sweetest Lily passed away yesterday,” the Stewarts announced on Monday on The Daily Squeal, the Facebook page for Bufflehead Farm, their refuge for unwanted animals. “She went peacefully surrounded by so many that loved her. We stroked her hair and told her over and over again how loved and special she was. She was under her favorite tree on soft grass.”

Lily was euthanized after falling and breaking a bone in her neck, the Stewarts said.

“Her bones were very frail. She stumbled and fell hard on her neck causing a break,” the Stewarts wrote onFacebook. “When we knew there was nothing more we could do for her we covered her in kisses and kind words and said our good-byes.”

Lily, a a 20-year-old white Arabian pony mare, was discovered abandoned in a New Holland stable in March. The Lancaster County SPCA reported that Lily was shot with paintballs, as her hide covered with splotches of paint, she was sensitive to the touch, and half-blind.

After the man who abandoned Lily was convicted, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart and his wife Tracy took Lily into their animal refuge in Middletown, New Jersey in May.

However, just a month later, Lily passed away.

“Lily loved her time in the paddock munching on grass. During the day Lily got massages, baths and lots and lots of hugs. She slept soundly in her barn listening to soft music. Her favorite Pandora channel was Ray Lamontagne,” the Stewarts wrote on Facebook. “We are comforted knowing that we were able to give her peace. She left this world feeling love.”

A woman later came forward to claim she was Lily’s owner and that the horse was used for finger-painting by kids at parties, not for paintball target practice, the Associated Press reported.