Mare & Foal in Very Poor Condition Near Sharp Tor, Cornwall

Our welfare officer was called by an extremely concerned member of the public who informed her of a mare and foal in very poor condition near Sharp Tor in Cornwall. The pair had been in the same spot for a few days and the mare looked very weak.

On arrival it became apparent the mare was in a bad way and needed help, she was lying down and struggled to get up. Both were offered water and both were very thirsty, the mare was so weak she allowed our welfare officer to check her over. Her gums were very pale and she was very thin, the foal also looked underweight with a very wormy belly.

The commoners were called and a representative attended to try and identify the pair, the mare was scanned to see if she had a chip. She didn't, she had no identifiable markings at all. The pair needed to be taken to a safe haven under the animal welfare act so the police were informed and a log number given. Our staff at the sanctuary had been informed of the situation and bought the horsebox to the site. By then the mare had a head collar on and was lead to the road, both ponies were loaded onto the box, by this time it was dark.

They were met at the yard by the vet who examined both, the mares temperature was 104.7 which was very high. It was obvious she was extremely poorly so was given an antibiotic injection, the foal had a normal temperature but it was obvious he was riddled with worms. Because of there very poor condition we were advised not to worm them as they were far to weak to cope with it.

They were left for the night in a warm stable with water and hay and on Friday the mares temperature was taken and it had decreased. We were hopeful both would recover, however when staff arrived on Saturday morning the mare was found dead in her stable. There was no sign of struggling, it looked like she had just given up.

The foal was obviously traumatised so he was swiftly moved to a separate stable to settle down, after a few more days he was moved in with another of our quiet mares who will keep him company. We will continue to care for him at our rehabilitation yard. He is a sweet natured boy who has had a tough start to life, we will ensure he lives the rest of his life well cared for and safe from further harm.

We asked our facebook followers to help us name the foal and we had a fantastic response, the chosen name is Jethro and it suits him. He is feeling much better and has put some weight on, he has much more energy and spents much of his time exploring and playing with his friends.

Breaking Ice!!!

With the sudden freezing temperature we are seeing frozen water troughs, this includes the troughs on the Downs such as Roborough, Clearbrook, Long Ash etc. Our welfare assistant has been breaking the ice covering Robourogh Downs trough and we are urging anyone who see's a frozen trough to smash the ice so the ponies and other animals can get a drink. For many this is their only water source so it's life saving work and only takes a matter of seconds.

Lame Colt on Tavistock Golf Course

We received a call about a young foal who was lame in his hind leg. Our welfare officer attended and found a young colt, around four months old, who was indeed lame in his hind left leg. On assessment it was obvious the problem was in the foot/hoof so our welfare officer approached the colt to see if she could handle him. He was extremely tame and was not at all worried about having his leg lifted and felt for heat. He did have a little heat in his pastern, but no swelling. Our welfare officer removed the mud from his sole and could see a black discharge around his frog, this could be a sign of a condition called Thrush. This is a fungal infection and is common when conditions have been wet/damp and mild, such as this winter.

We have established the foals owner and together we will assess the colt's condition. Apart from the problem with his foot he is fit, healthy and very friendly. He is not distressed in any way and is able to keep up with his mother and herd.