The Paint-Covered Horse Jon Stewart Rescued Has Died

It’s a tragic turn of events for a horse who couldn’t catch a break.

Jon Stewart‘s horse, Lily, the white mare found covered in paint and emaciated in New Holland, died just weeks after he and his wife adopted her and brought her to their Middleton, N.J., farm sanctuary.

A post on the Daily Squeal, a Facebook page related to the farm, said the horse “stumbled and fell hard on her neck.” Her bones were “very frail,” according to the post.

Stewart and his wife, Tracey Stewart, adopted the horse from a Kennett Square facility that found her seemingly abandoned, covered in paint and sore to the touch, which led many to believe that she’d been hammered by more than 100 paintballs.

Doreen Weston, Lily’s previous owner, said the horse was used at her Pittstown, N.J., farm as a canvas for children’s finger-painting parties. Which, one would imagine, isn’t much better.

When Weston realized 35-year-old Lily wasn’t in great shape, she handed her over to Philip Price of East Providence, Rhode Island, assuming he would euthanize her.

But Price kept Lily and was convicted of animal cruelty last month in New Holland. Lily’s right eye had to be removed, and she was in need of emergency intensive care, according to a doctor at the New Bolton Center.

Lily had a few weeks to romp in lush N.J. fields with animal-lovers Jon and Tracey Stewart before passing away.

We were rooting for you, Lily. It’s a story that could’ve, should’ve ended well … but didn’t.

Follow @ClaireSasko on Twitter.