You think your neighbors are loud? Try living next to a family whose newborn roommate hoofs around the living room and demands a warm bottle of milk every two hours.
In the coastal town of Rovinj, Croatia, a tiny one-month-old pony named Mile has officially moved into a fourth-floor apartment. He watches TV from the couch, naps on a floor mattress, and commutes to work in the back seat of a family sedan. Expanding on this idea, you can find more in: The G7 Photo Op Illusion Why Summit Rituals Hide the Real Shift in Global Power.
It sounds like a bizarre internet prank, but for Mile, it's a literal matter of life and death.
The Midnight Emergency That Brought a Farm Indoors
Mile's story started with a harsh reality of farm life. Shortly after his birth in May 2026, his mother rejected him. In the equine world, maternal rejection is a quick death sentence without intense human intervention. Foals lack an immune system at birth and rely entirely on the mother’s first milk, called colostrum, to survive. Observers at Associated Press have provided expertise on this matter.
Without it, Mile quickly contracted a life-threatening infection.
His owners, Andjelka Josipovic and Kristijan Jelenic, refuse to give up easily. They operate a small family ranch and children's playroom 15 kilometers away in Bale, a quiet area home to llamas, sheep, pigs, and horses. When Mile collapsed, local vets saw no path forward.
"The first night, the vet thought there was no hope and wanted to put him down," Josipovic recalled. "I said, let's try until the morning."
That stubborn refusal to quit saved the foal's life. The family rushed Mile across the border to neighboring Slovenia for an emergency operation. The medical bills were staggering, but a wave of public donations covered the treatment costs. Mile survived the surgery, but he came home needing intensive, round-the-clock medical monitoring.
A busy ranch with dozens of other animals isn't the place for a fragile, recovering newborn. So, Josipovic and Jelenic packed up the 16-kilogram (35-pound) pony, drove him to their residential apartment block in Rovinj, and carried him up four flights of stairs.
Living Room Logistics with a 35-Pound Foal
Apartment 4B was already crowded. Before Mile's arrival, the one-bedroom flat housed Josipovic, Jelenic, her two teenage sons, and the family dog. Adding a horse to the mix completely upended the household structure.
Apartment 4B Roommate Roster:
- 2 Adults (Andjelka & Kristijan)
- 2 Teenagers
- 1 Dog
- 1 Baby Pony (Mile)
Caring for a premature, recovering foal in a small apartment looks exactly like caring for a human infant, just with harder hooves.
- The Feeding Schedule: Josipovic warms up specialized milk formula every two hours, day and night.
- The Alarm System: If the kitchen timers fail, Mile handles the wakeup call himself. He walks right up to the family's bed and nudges them awake.
- Sleeping Arrangements: Mile ignores the floor most of the time, opting instead to sleep directly on a designated mattress or sprawl out across the family sofa.
Miraculously, the pony has gained a kilogram (2.2 pounds) since moving indoors. His caretakers say he now displays a fierce appetite and a strong desire to fight for his recovery.
What the Neighbors Think
In a dense apartment complex, a crying baby can trigger a building-wide feud. You’d think a galloping horse would cause a neighborhood revolt.
Yet, the residents in this corner of Rovinj haven't complained once.
Rovinj is famous worldwide for its packed tourist center, tight stone alleys, and historic Mediterranean charm. Luckily for Mile, the family lives away from the chaotic tourist crowds in a local residential district. The neighbors have embraced the bizarre situation, often stopping to watch the foal get carried down the stairs for his daily outings.
Every morning, Mile leaves the apartment and climbs into the back seat of the family car. He spends his days getting fresh air and socializing at the ranch in Bale, then hitches a ride back to the apartment in the evening to sleep in the living room.
The Countdown to Eviction
While a 35-pound horse works as a temporary apartment pet, biology ensures this setup has a strict expiration date.
Horses grow at an astonishing rate during their first year. A typical pony can easily gain over a pound a day, quickly expanding past the point where a fourth-floor apartment can hold them. Jelenic knows their living room sanctuary is temporary.
"In about twenty days, this probably will no longer be possible," Jelenic said. "I hope he will be strong enough by then to be able to stay at the ranch."
The goal is simple: keep Mile stable, pampered, and medicated indoors until his immune system stabilizes. Once he can survive the night without two-hour bottle feedings and climate-controlled shelter, he’ll transition back to full-time farm life in Bale. Until then, he's staying right on the couch.
If you ever find yourself dealing with an abandoned or sick animal on your own property, remember that neonates need immediate veterinary stabilization before you worry about long-term housing. Keep them warm, never feed an animal whose body temperature is low, and seek professional medical guidance immediately. Mile's survival is a testament to fast medical action and a lot of sleepless nights.
