News Winter 2017
Gwen
We were contacted by walkers Sarah and Axel the morning of 10th July 2019, to request help for a foal they had come across after getting lost hiking the evening before. The little foal had been stuck in a gorge before they pulled her out and left her to return to the herd nearby grazing. Unfortunately when they returned to check her in the morning the horses had left her behind and she was still in the same area they had left her the night before. She had become weak and for a wild born foal on a common didn’t resist the help offered to her. Shannon and Rhian our welfare assistants offered her a bottle of milk replacer to rehydrate her for her journey back to the Trust where our vet was awaiting her arrival.
As she was off the beaten track, she had to be carried a short journey to Axels 4x4 which she then travelled another short journey in, before reaching our awaiting equine ambulance.
“Gwen” as she is now known was very thin and weighed less than a collie dog, we believe she was born sometime in June as it was a very wet month as she had terrible rain scald, her initial care plan involved feeding her every hour throughout the day and every 3hrs throughout the night, which has been adjusted slightly as she has grown. Gwen has received treatment for pneumonia and needed many vet visits since her rescue, we have also had to carefully treat her very high worm burden.
September 2019 – Its been a bumpy road to recovery but she is much more healthier, is a normal weight and is happy with her new companion Zazu who is undergoing gradual weaning from rescue mare Sarabi. We will continue to give her the TLC she needs.
So that we can continue to rescue and rehabilitate more ponies like Gwen we need your help! A small monthly donation of just £4 that’s just £1 a week or more if you can afford it would really help us to save lives!
Rocky – Tiny but Mighty
This month we were called by a member of the public who said that they were concerned about a tiny pony in a small muddy plot of land in Pembrokeshire. With the unrelenting bad weather the small plot had become very wet. We contacted the RSPCA who had already been in contact with the owner who had been left with the pony when her son’s girlfriend, the original owner, had left and couldn’t be contacted. Added to that the new owner had lost her grazing.
When more suitable grazing couldn’t be found she had tried her best to take care of him. She recognised he would be happier signed over to a charity where he could receive the level of care he needed.
The RSPCA were unable to remove him until after New Year so we decided to give Rocky a Happy Christmas in a warm dry stable. He went to the vets following collection to be gelded, microchipped and passported.
Once he can come out of quarantine he can be introduced to the Shetland herd where he will live as part of a herd instead of alone. Rocky will be available to rehome through our Guardianship Scheme.
He may be very small at 7 hands high, but he is mighty and is taking everything in his stride.
If you would like to help towards Rocky’s rescue you can donate via PayPal or through the Just Giving website.
[paypal_donation_button]
New Horse Transporter
We were delighted to receive a grant from Support Adoption for Pets this summer which enabled us to purchase a 3.5 tonne horse lorry. Previously we had to rely on volunteers to help us transport horses which was far from ideal. The new lorry arrived in August and was soon put into use responding to a call from Swansea based Communities for Horses expressing concern for a stallion, Thor (see below) who had been abandoned and tied to a telegraph pole. This month it went off to be signwritten. Here it is sporting its new livery.
Thor’s Story
Thor had been abandoned and tied to a telegraph pole. He was in pain, distressed and on the verge of collapse and was only able to travel back to Lluest following a dose of painkillers administered by the vet. Staff at Lluest named him Thor, befitting of his handsome stallion looks. After a course of pain relief to help with his lameness and some general TLC and feeding up Thor was ready to begin some gentle training.
Since his rescue Thor has been very busy. He was selected as a ‘spooky horse’ to visit Monty Roberts at his demonstration in Aberystwyth. Staff at the Trust have been continuing with the training started by Monty and Thor is responding well. He has now been castrated and is ready to find his own loving guardian home.
Winter Feeding
Horses and ponies living out full time over the winter will usually need to be fed supplementary forage when their grazing becomes sparse and poached. Some horses will also require hard feed to maintain their condition. Quality of hay and haylage varies and may be lacking in vitamins and minerals.
Our youngsters and some older horses will still require a fibre based hard feed and we use 1 ½ round bales of hay/haylage a day to feed all our residents over winter at a cost of approximately £40 a day plus the additional cost of bedding.
We have been fortunate to have received Horslyx in the past in exchange for assisting with trialling a product. This winter we would like to purchase Horslyx for every resident, they will need approximately two 15kg Horslyx each to see them through winter at a cost of £22 a tub totalling £1300.
Winter Feed Appeal
This winter we are appealing for our friends and supporters to pledge a regular monthly gift to the current and future equines in our care, to enable us to help more horses, ponies and donkeys and to plan and budget throughout the year. You can donate by filling out the enclosed form to make a one off donation or set up a standing order. Your gift can go a little further if you are a UK taxpayer and agree for us to claim Gift Aid. We will receive £1.25 for every £1 you donate.
Winter is our most expensive time so even if you cannot pledge a regular donation a one off donation, however small, will make all of the difference. If you would like to donate to our JustGiving Winter Feed appeal you can text PONY20 and your donation amount £…. To 70070 or visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/lluesthorseandpony/christmasfeedappeal
Forthcoming Events
We are currently working on the dates for next year’s events. Please check back soon.
