19th February 2016 we took a call from our vet Lisa Durham of Dyffryn Tywi Equine Clinic to look at 4 abandoned ponies on a nearby mountain as they were due to be shot the following morning.  Yard manager Dionne and groom Rhian drove to the location to find 4 very wet pitiful ponies 2 of which were very thin and weak. They seemed quite friendly despite living feral for at least 2 years and were taking carrots from their hands.

After much deliberation and soul searching nobody here at Lluest wanted to see the lives of these ponies ended, we have agreed to take them in and collect them the following morning Saturday 20th February. One of the ponies was severely emaciated and had last years foal at foot, she would need a lot of care and also appeared to have dental problems. They all needed to be passported, microchipped, wormed, de-loused, vaccinated, dental treatment and blood tested as well as fed and cared for. We have been over stretched throughout winter and are appealing if our supporters could find it in your hearts to donate towards their rescue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

 

20/02/2016

The 4 ponies abandoned on the mountain are now safe in the Trust’s care. One of the mares sadly aborted a foal the night before we collected them so she has had a very rough time. We are ever so grateful for the donations we have received towards their rescue. The mares have a long way to recovery but alongside our wonderful vets at Dyffryn Tywi Equine Clinic we will do our best. Please continue to share our posts on Facebook these ponies really do need your support and donations. As mentioned in our original appeal post we are over stretched and now have every available stable occupied, we need your help not only with donations but also the offer of homes for some of our 28 resident rescues on the farm.

 

---

 

22/2/2016

 

 Let us introduce to you Henry, Imogen, Gertrude and Eva who we are sure are extremely thankful for your support. They were named after the winter storms that they had to endure starving and cold out on the mountain. They are doing well and since their initial vet check we have left them to gain strength and settle before attempting to worm and blood test them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

23/2/2016

 

This picture goes some way to showing just how thin poor Imogen is underneath her long winter coat. This poor mare lost her unborn foal sometime overnight before we collected her on Saturday. It was a very sad sight seeing the fully formed pretty foal lying dead on the ground. As sad as it is though it was probably for the best as rearing a foal would have been a real struggle given her thin exhausted state. Imogen could be mistaken for being an old mare due to her poor condition but the vet looked at her teeth and believes she is around 6-7 yrs old.

Sadly there are many more Imogen’s out there needing help. Indiscriminate breeding needs to be stopped.

 

 

---

2/3/2016 and 3/2/2016

 

The new rescue has attracted some media attention with an article in the South Wales Guardian and features on Heno S4C and ITV Wales.

 

Anyone interested in seeing our TV features can follow the links below – 

https://www.facebook.com/252534428163405/videos/987952277954946/

 

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2016-03-03/charity-struggling-to-cope-with-abandoned-horses-in-wales/

 

---

 

3/3/2016

Thursday 3rd March the rescues had a vet visit. Gertie, Imogen and Henry all had dental work carried out to ensure that their recovery and weight gain isn’t hindered by any dental issues. We are pleased that none of them had any serious dental issues although poor Gertie had a very sharp piece of tooth embedded in her gum causing a painful ulcer.

Gertie’s blood results showed she is thankfully not in foal. We will need to carry out another set of strangles blood tests due to a grey reading. This means the ponies will be in isolation slightly longer than usual.

 

---