HorseWorld Emergency Appeal update

A horse welfare charity in Bristol has finally been able to reveal the identities of five malnourished and frightened ponies they rescued recently.
HorseWorld launched an appeal to raise the funds to nurse the animals back to health but weren’t able to show pictures or go into too much detail about the rescue situation as the case was under investigation for a possible prosecution. Unfortunately, no owner could be traced and the investigation reached a dead end.
The Welsh ponies now named Pretzel, Peanut, Pumpkin, Peaches and Plum were part of a group of 25 ponies seized from Gelligaer Common in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. They were running wild on common land with no sign of anyone caring for them.
The ponies were completely unhandled, terrified of humans and were in terrible condition. There was not enough grazing on the common to sustain them. HorseWorld collaborated with multiple welfare charities to remove the ponies from this desperate situation and bring five of them to safety at HorseWorld.
One of the ponies named Plum was heavily pregnant. Sadly, the foal only survived 24 hours despite the best possible veterinary care. The neglect her mother had suffered during pregnancy was just too much. HorseWorld staff named the filly foal Damson (a type of plum).
HorseWorld’s Head of Equine Welfare, Sarah Hollister commented “The positive news is, all five ponies are doing really well now and are expected to make a full recovery. Our team have started some very gentle rehabilitation training with them to help get them used to being handled. The training is taken very slowly and is led by the individual pony in order to keep their stress levels low at all times.
“For ponies like this that have likely never had human contact, we start with a glove on a pole and slowly get them used to being touched with the trainer remaining at a comfortable distance for them. As they accept this, we can move a little closer. This is a long slow process which is never rushed, it takes as long as it takes. The welfare of the horses, their comfort and happiness is paramount.
“It could take years for these ponies to be fully trained and ready to embark on a new life ahead of them. This might be looking for a home on our rehoming scheme, it could be taking part in our HorseWorld Discovery Courses. If the HorseWorld team’s opinion is that neither is an option, they will remain at HorseWorld living with a herd in the fields here. Whatever lies ahead, once a horse or pony comes into HorseWorld’s care we guarantee they have a home for life. These ponies will never know neglect, mistreatment or starvation ever again. They are safe for the rest of their lives.”
To donate to this appeal, you can visit www.horseworld.org.uk/emergency-appeal
HorseWorld is an equine welfare charity in Bristol specialising in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming horses, ponies and donkeys in need. To find out more, visit www.horseworld.org.uk