Snowball's Appeal

On the 16th July we brought in two more neglect cases who needed help urgently. 

This is poor Snowball's story......

(Please scroll to the end for latest updates)

Snowball’s overall body condition is ok but he has not been handled for a long time. Snowball is extremely nervous and his mane and forelock are badly matted.

It is his hooves however, that are causing us so much concern. They are the result of chronic neglect.

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I cannot talk about his background but I was told  he was “wrestled  in the past to have his feet trimmed”  With huge, quiet courage he loaded into the trailer  and at the same time broke my heart.

Once again this brave little pony was sedated and Brain went to work little by little on each foot.

While snowball was under sedation Lisa also took the opportunity to work on his teeth and file down the enormous hooks.

We were all very aware that this was a big, demanding session for such a small pony. Everyone worked very quietly and respectfully, giving Snowball breaks so he did not feel pressured.

It is easy when an animal is sedated to bombard them. A lot needed to be done to make him comfortable but his overall welfare came first.

The smell from Snowballs feet was the first thing that hit me. The state of his tiny frogs was appaling and the severity of his contrated heals on his hinds was shocking.

The work was painstaking but Brian was fantastic. He would take a bit off one foot, move round  to the next and the next just gradualy working through this seriously remedial trim.  

Yet  again Snowball rallied and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that not only did he cope with the session but the improvement to his comfort was already evident.

Brain will be back in 4 weeks to trim again and from this point on and for the foreseeable future Snowball will have his little feet trimmed once a month.

This last photo shows the extent of deformity. One heel is higher than the other and the bars of are strangling the frog.

28th July
After a couple of days for Snowball to recover it was time to start training him to take the halter and learn to lead.

We have 4 weeks to try and avoid having to sedate him again. We tailor training plans to suit the individual nature and ability of equine at the Trust and Snowball is no exception.

Because Snowball is small, of course it is easy to catch him in his stable which is what has been done up until now.  This was out of necessity so as not to confuse intense vet and farrier visits with training.

Now the pressure is off for a few weeks there is the chance to spend quality time with Snowball allowing him to learn without the pressure of imminent medical intervention.

Having spent time observing Snowball he is a pony who likes to think about things. He is very nervous but inquisitive, plus he loves pony nuts, so Clicker Training was the first choice to help him build his confidence and encourage his motivation to ‘try’

Clicker Training is based on positive reinforcement and the ‘reward’ for effort can be food, a scratch or something the equine finds rewarding.

For unhandled horses, ponies and donkeys scratches are out for obvious reasons so food is often the next best thing.

It must be remembered that food is not to be used as a bribe. It is only used as a reward after the horse or pony has done something you want. The clicker becomes the trainers ‘yes’ signal and is reinforced with the reward. In Snowballs case a few pony nuts after each click.  

Clicker Training allows equines to learn at their own pace especially when the animal is not restricted by a head collar etc  - and is free to stop participating at any time.  This type of method may not work for Snowball in which case I would have adapted and found something that did work,  but it was a good place to start.

In the first session which lasted about 45 minutes Snowball was introduced to the concept of clicker training and the associations were put in place. Click = Treat.  This little pony blew me away. He just took to it and we moved forward quickly. By the end of the first lesson he had the confidence to come up close and put his nose in the head collar.

The second session the following morning was maybe 20 minutes and Snowball was having his head collar on and off. Some do come this quickly but I suspect that somewhere in his past he had been handled. It was over the past 10 years  where things had gone wrong for him, but before that perhaps he had once been  loved and cared for.

We had created a rubber walk way so we were able to lead Snowball  to the soft arena so he could get out of his stable.  I had not been planning on using it so quickly but he was so responsive that we gave it a go.

Still using the clicker to reinforce his willingness to try -  he followed. He had been so amazing that I wanted to give him a really big reward and so I took off his head collar and let him have a short while grazing on the grass area in front of the office.

The next step for Snowball will be to groom him and remove the matted hair from his beautiful mane.

The 19th August was the date for the second trim.
Would the training pay off? I had not booked the vet believing that Snowball would be able to cope but self doubt kept me up the night before. Snowball was being amazing but could he cope? Was I asking too much?

Not only did he cope -  but he stood untied and without being held. What a pony!


After about three quarters of an hour Snowballs second trim was fininshed.



The difference in just two trims is amazing and all thanks to Brian!
The heels are still uneven and his poor little left hind is still twisted but this is just the beginning of a long road to recovery!

Angel and Snowball can now come out of isolation but we do not want to put them on too much grass or cause them to run around too much SO.....

As with all our special cases they spend time in the garden behind the house. No one here has time to do any gardening so none of us worry about the cosmetics, and being by the house lets us keep a close eye on them. Sometimes we get horse hair on the washing,  or it gets chewed but who cares - they are getting better, that is all that counts!


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24th August
Now Snowball is settled, more comfortable on his feet and relaxed when handled, it was time to tackle the dreaded dread locks.

 Julia our lovely groom headed in to the garden and was not seen for a good couple of hours! We thought Snowball would only put up with a little bit of grooming at a time – but  bless him, he loved it!


So relaxed Snowball took 40 winks


Looking good......

Julia stops for a breather but Snowball wants more

and more......

Nearly there.........

Last little bit........

Then all done and back to grazing


Snowball - the pony who just melts your heart!


9th October 2011

Snowball and Angel are finally out of isolation and have stables in the main barn. They are also now  out of the garden because their feet are good enough to walk to a paddock! We are over the moon for both of them! One of Snowballs hind's still twists over quite badly but the regular trims are helping. Only time will tell if this can be corrected. In the meantime he is a different pony in only four months!



Snowball sleeping.......


Snowball awake......The ears give it away!


Up dates will be posted here as Snowball's story continues

Please CLICK HERE here for different ways you can donte to help Snowball and others like him.

November Update

Every four weeks since Snowball came to the Trust Brian has continued working slowly but surely to give Snowball new feet.
These photos show the amazing improvement in just 5 months

Before back in July


Now in November


However, it has taken this long to bring the foot back enough to find old damage caused by Laminitis



The improvement to his hind feet, especially the left that rolled over is fantastic.

This is back in July


and in November

Snowball has stolen everyone’s hearts and deservedly so. This little man  has had to endure a lot of work and discomfort. He has been patient,  brave and not a moments trouble.  He will continue his four weekly trims well in to the new year but finally Snowballs quality of life is returning. Every day sees him a little bit more comfortable and able to walk properly.

This is one of Angel’s x ray’s sadly showing the rotation in the pedal bone.
Once again we all took a deep breath. The amount of sole was in her favour.

Brain then wanted to trim some foot away to have a good look at the condition. 
This is what he found.......

The amount of neglect was shocking. At some point Angel had suffered from
chronic laminitis which had been left untreated. Her other feet revealed
rotting frogs and stomach churning thrush. None of us could imagine the amount
of pain this beautiful pony has had to endure.



Despite the damage Brian believed he could help. He went ahead and Angel had
her first trim.

On the 19th August Angle had her second trim and the improvement in her feet is
already becoming obvious. We are treating the thrush and her frogs are dramatically improving.

Brian has worked wonders and is optimistic with regular 4 weekly trims Angels feet
will continue to improve. 


Angel and Snowball can now come out of isolation but we do not want to put them on too much grass or cause them to run around too much SO.....


As with all our special cases they spend time in the garden behind the house. No one here has time to do any gardening so none of us worry about the cosmetics, and being by the house lets us keep a close eye on them. Sometimes we get horse hair on the washing,  or it gets chewed but who cares - they
are getting better, that is all that counts!



7th October 2011

Angel goes from strength to strength and loves life! Her feet are improving quickly and we may even be able to put her up for rehoming sooner than we thought.
It will have to be a very special home and nothing will happen until she has gently been weaned from Snowball.  We are in no rush, just SO thrilled with her progress.

Please CLICK HERE here for different ways you can donte to Snowball's and Angel's Appeals

Angels up dates will be posted here as her story continues.