South West Equine Protection is a registered charity based on Dartmoor. We respond to wild pony emergency callouts on Dartmoor and Bodmin moors. Donations from the public enable us to respond to callouts and get veterinary help for ponies in distress.
All the "wild" ponies on the moors are owned, but sadly many owners try to avoid their duty of care...
On the 24th July SWEP received a phone call from a member of the public to report a pony with a large abcess on its side. Two of our officers went out to see the pony on Roborough Down and found that the abcess was the size of a small rugby ball. After speaking to the owner, it was agreed that we would bring the pony into the SWEP yard.
Today, our team went out onto the moor and were able to drift the pony and her foal, with the minimum of stress, to the SWEP yard so they can start settling in to receive care and veterinary treatment.
Update 26/07/11- The pony and foal are settling in well. The vet has seen the mare and has started her on antibiotic treatment. We will get the mare handleable over the next few days so that the abcess can be directly treated. Both will now permanently be staying with SWEP.
SWEP received a phone call this morning to report a dead pony near the "pump house" on the Princetown to Tavistock road on Dartmoor. The pony would have been the victim of a road traffic collision. SWEP reported the dead pony to the Commoners who will remove the body.
On Friday evening we received a report of a Dartmoor Hill Pony foal that was having difficulty breathing, had red legs and had an unusual face. Our welfare Officer attended the moor today and found that the foal is deformed. It is about 3-4 months old. This case is ongoing and more information will be posted when possible.
Update 28th July - Our equine vet has been able to assess this foal. It has been diagnosed as having a rare condition called "Wry Nose". This condition is not caused by inbreeding or genetic problems. The foal is managing well out on the moor with its current condition but the welfare concern is that because of its breathing problems, it will not survive the drifts. We are currently in the process of ensuring that the foal will be taken off the moor separately when it comes to the round-ups.
Today SWEP attended the "Bonanza" Horse Sale at Hallworthy market to oversee the welfare of horses at the sale. We found a miniature mare and foal entered into the sale that were deformed. The owner tried to hide the ponies away in another person's lorry but SWEP reported these ponies to the authorities at the sale and the deformed ponies were subsequently withdrawn from the sale.
The rest of the sale ran smoothly and we were pleased to make good contact with the auctioneer. We stayed until 7.30pm until all the horses and ponies (such as the ones below) had been loaded at the end of the sale.
One of our SWEP officers was able to take the above photo of a Dartmoor Hill Pony near Clearbrook. At first we suspected that this lump might be an abcess, but when visiting the pony on the 21st July, our officers were able to see that the mare is pouching grass and this is not an abcess. This mare probably has hooks on her teeth. Monitoring her we found that the lump disappears at times and then re-emerges later in the day. We will continue to monitor this mare and her condition.
Our Welfare Officer was approached on the moor by a young foal who had sore eyes and discharge. As the foal was friendly, our officer was able to wipe away the discharge to clean up the area around the eyes to help keep the flies off.
Our officers responded to a report of a lame foal on Roborough Down on Dartmoor. We assessed the foal, which did have a minor lameness, but the foal was bright and healthy and the lameness was not hampering its movement. This will be a case for us to monitor to ensure that the lameness does not get worse.
One of our SWEP officers spotted this Dartmoor Hill Pony in poor condition. We will continue to monitor this mare out on the moor. The mare is below the ideal body weight, particularly for this time of year. Her foal is healthy and the mare is bright and active out on the moor. This owner has told us before that he would rather shoot ponies in poor condition and get paid for the meat than have to pay for the vet to attend them, hence our decision to monitor the mare for the time being.
We received a report from a member of the public about a Dartmoor Hill Pony with very overgrown hooves on an enclosed area of moorland just outside of Tavistock. Our Welfare Officer visited the moor and found this pony which clearly was in need of having its hooves trimmed. SWEP rang the owner of the pony who has said that he will "see to it". We will return to this area to check that the pony is not left with its feet in this condition.
Owners have a legal responsibility to regularly check the body and hoof condition of their ponies - this should be done on a daily basis.
Update 19/07/11 - We are pleased to report that this mare has had her feet trimmed and is back out on the moorland...please see the photos below
On 30th June SWEP received a phone call from a very concerned member of the public who had come across a lame Dartmoor Hill Pony foal which was unable to bear any weight on its front, left leg. Maureen Rolls attended the foal and was able to identify and contact the owner, who came out to the site. SWEP's equine vet attended and felt unable to make a firm decision as to whether the leg was broken or not. It was agreed with the farmer that it was not appropriate for the foal to be rounded up at speed by quad bikes, particularly over the steep terrain, as this would cause more damage to the foal. SWEP agreed that it would be acceptable for the owner to wait for the foal and its mare to be in a more suitable location from where they could be more easily removed.
Our Welfare Officer visited the foal out on the area of moor today. This video shows that the foal's condition has improved slightly, and it seems that its leg is probably not broken, but the level of lameness means that the foal still needs to be properly assessed by a vet. This case is ongoing and updates will be provided as soon as possible...
09/07/11 - Update - Our Welfare Officer visited the moor today and the foal has improved significantly over the last few days. The video below shows that although the foal is still lame (which can be clearly seen when it is walking), it is now running around and is able to put its hoof to the floor. It should be able to stay out on the moor with its mother if it continues to improve like this. We will continue to monitor its condition.
We responded to a callout to a Dartmoor Hill Pony yearling described as thin and in poor condition, not far from Cadover Bridge. Yearlings such as this the one in the photo above look very scruffy at this time of year. This one would be considered acceptable by moorland condition standards to stay out on the moor, but many of these youngsters are colts (young male ponies) who should not have been left out on the moor.
Most youngsters bought off the moor need to be wormed as they can have high worm burdens.
Another youngster seen today - this one was on an enclosed area of moorland not far from Tavistock
Further along the road to Tavistock, our Officer came across a Dartmoor Hill Pony foal that was clearly distressed, running frantically, and calling out as loudly as it could. It was alone and heading towards the busy main road, where it would risk being hit by a car. This foal had been caught out - in the sunny weather, foals stop to sleep and sometimes, as in this case, when they wake up, the herd has moved off and can't be seen anywhere.
On approaching the foal out on the moorland, it walked over to our Officer and was brave enough to sniff her hand. It instantly calmed down and they walked together away from the main road further up onto the moor. A distance further along the hillside the foal was reunited with its herd.
Whilst driving across Dartmoor from Princetown to Tavistock, our Welfare Officer came across a small herd of Dartmoor Hill Ponies that were looking unthrifty. On stopping to investigate, it was apparent that one mare had a long, drooling, salivary discharge from her mouth, and on closer inspection, other ponies in the herd had nasal discharges. We suspect that this herd is suffering from Strangles, and anyone who comes into direct contact with ponies in this area should make sure they disinfect their hands and footwear, and change clothing if they wish to take precautions against infecting their own equines with the disease.
