/ 31 January 2005

Which aisle for horseshoes?

Shoppers at one British supermarket were astonished to find a pony alongside them browsing the shelves, a report said.

The Daily Express said on Saturday that customers at a Cardiff branch of Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket chain, were joined by a stray Shetland pony that had escaped its nearby paddock.

Like any regular shopper, the pony made its way up and down the aisles of the Pengam Green store, then trotted in the direction of the vegetable counter.

Alert staff attempted to scare it away from the carrots and other fresh produce but the plan backfired as the pony homed in on the cereals.

“It gave everyone a shock — and looked a bit scared itself,” stunned shopper Luke Hart (25) told the British daily. “The pony started looking around as if it was on a shopping trip, whinnied three times and trotted off down the aisle.”

Eventually, the pony headed for the checkout and was ushered out of the building.

“It was quite funny but I wouldn’t have wanted to stand behind it. Even little ponies can have a big kick,” he warned.

Tesco have saddled themselves with the task of working out how the four-legged visitor managed to catch them on the hoof by entering the store. — AFP