Pony Unwilling to Get Up

Our welfare assistant recieved a call out in regards to a small Dartmor hill pony who was unable or unwilling to get up. A lady walking her dog had noticed the pony and thought it didn't look right, she tried to get the pony to stand up but to no avail. So she called in SWEP, our welfare assistant went to assess the situation. She also tried to help the pony up but it was totally unwilling, the pony looked very heavily pregnant. The area the pony was in has been experiencing high levels of grass cuttings being dumped and ponies being fed, so colic was a possibility. After half an hour of assessing the ponies condition our welfare assistant decided to call the vet for further advice. Whilst waiting for the vet to arrive the pony did get up assisted and had a nibble on a gorse bush, by the time the vet arrived she was grazing on grass. The vet assessed the mare and came to the conclusion she was probably extremly uncomfortable due to carrying a large foal or she had a spot of colic that had passed. We will monitor this pony and will report when she has given birth to her foal.

Ponies Abandoned on Yelverton Roundabout

SWEP received a report that four ponies had been abandoned on Yelverton roundabout. They had been rounded up and loaded onto a trailer and we were asked if we could take them in. We were informed that if we could not take them they would be shot!! Soon after the four arrived at our rehabilitation yard, 1 stallion, 2 colts and 1 filly.

Update - All four ponies have now settled in and we have started work on building their trust and confidence with humans and other ponies. The filly, named Bonnet (or Bonny), is the most confident of the four. She has been moved in with three calm mares and they got on immediately. She now comes to food and if our staff don't look at her directly she will allow them to stroke her back. The two colts, Saffron and Friday, have been separated from the stallion, Quinn, however they are all more nervous than Bonnet. We will work on all four, Quinn will be castrated and once ready they will be available for re-homing.

Pony With Badly Fitted Ear Tag

 

Our welfare assistant came across this pony today with a badly fitted ear tag. The tag is at the tip of the ponies ear causing it to fold over. We will contact the ponies owner and ask for it to be removed, this will need to be carried out by a qualified vet.

UPDATE - This pony has now been removed from the moor and her owner will have her ear tag removed. Once removed she will be returned to her herd.

Ponies Wearing Reflective Collars Near Haytor

Whilst driving towards Haytor our Welfare officer came across a herd of ponies wearing reflective collars. SWEP 100% supports the use of these collars on moorland ponies as it makes them a little more visible on dark and foggy nights. Many of the ponies on Dartmoor are of dark colouration and are difficult to spot on dark nights or when the fog sets in, these collars are an invaluable tool in making them visible. They have an elasticated section so if the wearer becomes caught it will pull off. The ponies were grazing normally and displayed no signs of discomfort, the ponies also had a large NY shaved into their sides as clear identification. We are keen to find the ponies owners and discuss the benefits of these collars with them.

Ponies in Burrator Arboretum

It was reported to us that there were some ponies in the Arboretum at Burrator reservoir, this area is managed by South West Lakes Trust and does not have ponies grazing on it. Our welfare officer paid the site a visit and found seven ponies in the area. She contacted SWLT who assured her that they weren't meant to be in the area, earlier in the month some fencing had been removed to allow works to be carried out. SWLT beleive the ponies entered the site then and became trapped when the new fencing was erected. Our welfare officer will work with SWLT to find the ponies owners and have them removed from the area and returned to their herd.

Please Do Not Feed The Ponies!!!

 

Whilst on her way home our welfare assistant noticed these ponies eating whole carrots that had been dropped down next to a busy car park, this car park is close to a cross roads that can get quite busy (you can see from the photo above how close it is to the car park). Feeding moorland ponies so close to roads and car parks encourages them to these areas and desensitises them to road using vehicles, this then leads to road traffic accidents. Feeding them also makes them aggressive towards each other and the bearer of the food, this often results in members of the public being kicked or bitten by ponies. It can also lead to ponies choking or colicing, both can lead to distress and even death. All these ponies belong to someone and when they get hit by vehicles or become sick because people have fed them it costs the owners money. We have already seen a number of RTC's this year, many are due to the ponies being fed close to roads and car parks.

Inujured Stallion on Roborough Down

Whilst out on a follow up check on Roborough Down our welfare assistant came across this little stallion with an injury on his hind hock. It could have been obtained through a fight with a rival stallion or from being hit by a vehicle. He is well known to the welfare assistant who contacted his owner immediately. His owner was concerned and assured us he would find him and see he gets the relevant treatment as soon as possible. There is a possibility this stallion will be gelded and put back on the Down. Our welfare assistant will monitor this stallions condition.

27/03/2012: Our welfare assistant went to check on this little stallion today and is pleased to report his leg has healed well. He has a finger tip size wound on his hind hock that has scabbed over and seems to be healing well, there is no sign of infection and he is no longer stiff in his hind leg. He is, however, still a stallion.

Pregnant Mare Killed in RTA

SWEP received a call from a police officer to report that a pregnant mare had been killed out right in an RTC on the road between Tavistock Golf Club and Warren Cross around 19:00 on 05/03/2012. The owner had been informed and was arranging for the body to be moved. Our welfare officer arrived at the site the following morning and the body was still at the side of the road so she called the owner to find out when it would be removed, he assured her that it was being dealt with and the pony would be removed that day. Our welfare assistant returned to the site at 14:00 and the body was no longer there.

Pony with Over Grown Feet - Goodameavy

Whilst looking for the grey pony in poor condition our welfare assistant came across a little coloured mare with over grown feet. The owner will be informed and asked to trim this ponies feet. 

Pony in Poor Condition at Goodameavy

Our welfare assistant was approached by a worried walker who said she had seen a pony in very poor condition on the Down at Goodameavy. The welfare assistant was on the scene within minutes and located the grey pony quickly, it was apparent the pony was under weight and seemed very stiff in its hind hips. We are trying to locate this ponies owner and will report it asap.

08/03/2012 : We have identified this ponies owner, she is an old mare and we will monitor her condition. At present she is keeping up with the herd so we feel she is better off staying with them. If her condition deteriorates any further we will liase with her owner and act in her best interests.