Foal With Long Umbilical Cord

A member of SWEP staff noticed a newborn foal with a very long umbilical cord, it was dragging on the floor and the staff member was worried it may get infected. She called our welfare officer who went out immediately to assess.

The foal was a healthy size and looked well, if not a bit wobbly, and mum was happily grazing, so our welfare officer decided to monitor the pair for 48 hours. She called our vet to clarify this was the right thing to do and the vet agreed.

By Sunday 1st September the cord had fallen away and the foal was happily bounding around. The ponies owner has been informed as it is late in the season for a foal to be born, the drifts will soon be upon us and the youngest need to be monitored during this stressful time.

Cast Mare Near Golf Links Road

We received a call from a very worried man who had come across a heavily pregnant mare that could not get up, she was extremely distressed and he thought she may be having difficulty giving birth.

Our welfare team rushed to the scene and found the mare on her side, well and truly cast. She was sweating and having difficulty breathing, she had injured her eye and she looked like she was trying to give birth. On closer inspection we could see she was prolapsing, she was exhausted and frightened.

We called the ponies owners and our vet and tried to keep the mare calm, the owner came straight out and together we managed to get the mare up. She was initially very wobbly on her legs and disorientated but soon found her legs and walked towards the herd. Her owner decided to drift her to a safe spot so they could get a lorry and have her collected, she would be taken to the farm to receive some penicillin and have her eye seen to and a general check over.

We were worried the foal had died as we figured she was down for some time before we were called and arrived on the scene, but thankfully after a while we saw the foal was moving inside.

We were extremely concerned about the mare and foals welfare during the imminent birth as the mare is so large, so we have asked that the owner contact us in a few day to let us know how they were and if the foal has been born. We would like to know the outcome whether it is good or bad news, the owners have agreed to let us know either way and we can visit the foal once it has arrived and if it survives.

******UPDATE******* This mare gave birth to a healthy foal, our Welfare Assistant has seen both mare and foal in the owners field and can report both are doing well.

Update on Filly with Hernia

At the beginning of August this year we reported a young filly who had a hernia. After a discussion with her owner it was agreed she could come into the yard and we would treat the hernia. She was a local pony and after a little reassurance she finally came in on her own accord. She is a lovely girl and is not afraid of us humans, she has already let us stroke her, check her teeth, legs and feet as well as allowing a vet to feel her hernia. The vet felt a hole which will need to be monitored, it is highly likely this pony will need a little operation in order to stitch the hole up. The filly is around 2 and a half years old so it is possible she could be pregnant. She will have a pregnancy test in the following weeks to establish if she is or not, we will decide on her treatment once we have the results.

Report of Deformed Foal on Kit Hill

Our welfare officer received an anonymous call regarding what they thought was a deformed foal, she was in the area so went straight out to investigate. She checked all the mares with foals in the area and came across a very large new born foal that she thought could be the foal in question.

She watched the foal for some considerable time waiting for it to get up and walk, when it did she could see it had very long, gangly legs with big joints.  Because of the sheer size of it's legs and being new born the foal was walking very strangely, it could easily be thought that the foals legs were not properly developed or walking correctly.

Our welfare officer watched the foal walking for some time and filmed it so it could be assessed by other members of staff. The foal was keeping up with mum and suckling happily. We are confident this youngster will be fine, however we will monitor it over the coming months to be sure. The ponies owner has been informed, he said his ponies come down to the farm every evening so he will keep an eye on the foal also.

Foal With Deformed Legs Near Warren Cross

Our welfare officer was called in regards to a young foal near Warren Cross that seemed to have deformed legs. We have seen this problem in foals in recent years in this area so she went out to investigate.

After searching for some time our officer found nothing that matched the foals description, however she did come across a Shetland type pony that was clearly lame. She called the ponies owner who assured her that he would check on the pony and remove it from the down.

In regards to the foal with the deformed legs our welfare staff will carry on monitoring the area to see if they can find it.

Foal Seperated From His Mum

We were called to come to the aid of a young chestnut foal who had been separated from his mum, he was frantically zig zagging across the road on the way to Sheeptor. Our welfare officer went straight out to assess the situation in the hope of finding mum and reuniting the pair. On arrival she found the foal trotting up the road alone, there was no sign of mum or any other ponies close by. Our welfare officer stayed close to the foal and ushered him from the road, eventually he spotted  mum and the two were reunited. The stressed foal quickly suckled from mum to calm himself down and our welfare officer monitored the pair for 15 minutes to ensure they were definitely mum and foal, and that they were calm and happy.

Newton Abbot Horse Sales

Our welfare team attended Newton Abbot horse sales today and were happy to report no serious issues. We would like to have seen some form of bedding in the stalls as the concrete floors are very slippy, this was proved when a cob who was tied up became upset and pulled back. As he pulled back his shod feet slipped from under him and he fell over, luckily his head collar came off and he could right himself. This minor incident also proves why equines should be tied to a piece of baler twine and not a solid railing, we will be raising this with the auctioneers.

There were a few issues with horses with feet in very poor condition, however the animals were in good condition and were bought so hopefully the first thing their new owners will do is get a farrier out. There were approximately 40 horses and ponies through the sales ring and many sold.

Dead Foal Near Plasterdown

We were called out to attend to a piebald mare who seemed distressed standing over a dead foal on the way to Plasterdown. Our welfare assistant went out and located the foal immediately as it was by the side of the road, however there was no sign of the mare or any other ponies in the area. The foal was a newborn, possibly still born as it was still in foetal position and his hooves had signs of eponychium.

The DLP officer arrived soon after and reported the owner was aware and would collect the body.

Dead Foal Caught in Fence

Our welfare team were alerted to a dead foal who appeared to be caught in a fence. They went out straight away, on arrival it became apparent the foal had not been dead long. His front leg was caught in the fence and he appeared to be cast against the sharp gorse. There were no other ponies in the area so establishing the foals owner was impossible. The DLP officer was contacted and she assured us the foals body would be removed asap.

Young Pony with Hernia

A member of our yard team came across this pony and noticed she had a large abdominal hernia, she alerted a member of the welfare team who came out to assess. Although the hernia is quite large the pony is otherwise in good health. They also knew who the ponies owner was so contacted him immediately, he agreed the pony could come into our care for treatment. Most hernias do not cause a problem however the only way to establish how bad it is is to have a vet look at it. Once the filly has come into our yard and has settled we will have our vet treat it.