Wales Farmer 28 EQUESTRIAN
Fostering appeal to tackle horse crisis
■ Campaign as neglect cases grow
By Anwen Humfrey
THE RSPCA in Wales has launched an emergency appeal to find foster
homes for young horses. The number of horses and
ponies in its carehas risen by a staggering 300% in the past year, and last year the charity took in 82 ponies and horses which had suffered neglect and cruelty. To tackle the growing horse
crisis the RSPCA has launched the StableFutureappeal to find fosterers to temporarilylook after some of the youngsters which aretoo young to be ridden. SallyLearoyd, RSPCA equine
rehoming officer,said: “We’ve seen ahuge increase in the amount of horses being dis- owned or allowedtoget into an appalling state because the trade in horses has collapsed.” Young horses being sold in
pubs forpocket money prices. Sallyadded: “I’ve heardof
young horses being sold for£5– less than the price of abottle of wine.I’veheardofhorses being bought and sold in pubs and we’vecome across acase of someone keeping ahorse on a towerblock balconyand feeding
it on kitchen scraps. “Wehaveanever-ending tide
of young horses coming into our
centres.Fostering our youngsters is away thathorse lovers can help us with this problem.” The recession, rising haycosts
and irresponsible breeding are thought to be to blame forthe ris- ing number of horses being neg- lected and abandoned. One of the youngsters in the
RSPCA’s careisLittle Tedwho wasfound emaciated and col- lapsed in astableand nursed back to health. The RSPCA has found new
homes forarecordnumber of horses over the past year butcan- not keep up with the flood of ani- mals which need help. Acharity spokesman said:
“Weface ahuge £3.2million bill in Wales and England just to care forthe influx of ponies and hors-
es.This figuredoes not include vetbills or prosecution costs.” To help ease the crisis the
RSPCA is urging horsey heroes to foster ayoungster until it is old enough to be prepared forwork and can find newhome. Sallysaid: “Fostering is agreat
wayfor people to have the enjoy- ment of being around youngsters whilst helping us out in the short- term. “Just liketeenagers,these
young horses need experience of life,aday to dayroutine and a guiding hand. Being afosterer is areallyrewarding experience. Youcan see these youngsters’
July 2012
Four dead foals found at dump site
THE RSPCA is appealing for information after four dead foals were found piled on top of each other and dumped among rub- bish
in PentreMeyrick,
Cowbridge,inMay. The horses,one black, one
grey and twogrey-and-white, had no signs of decomposition which suggested they had only recentlybeen dumped. The horses were not emaciated
and therewerenovisual signs of the cause of death. The area, awell known fly-
tipping area, had no other horses in the
vicinity.And it has been established thatthe bodies, which have nowbeen removed, were not awaiting collection for disposal. RSPCA inspector Christine
McNeil said: “With no other evi- dence it is difficult to tell exactly what has happened to these young foals and we areappealing foranyone with information to give us acall. “Although the horses maywell
RSPCA ACTION: Increasing numbers of horses are in need of help.
personalities change and develop as they grow.” Liz
Handford, from
Carmarthenshirehas fostered five horses forthe RSPCA. She said: “It’svery rewarding. “You get the pleasureofhav- ing young horses around; seeing
them, grooming them and watch- ing them
develop.It’sareal priv- ilege and apleasure.” The youngsters availablefor
fostering areaged between one and three and areall happy, healthyand handleable. They are microchipped, will have pass-
ports and tetanus vaccinations. Foster carers must have experi-
ence handling horses,grazing and be able to takeinayoungster for aminimum of six
months.For moreinformation
visit
www.rspca.org.uk/stablefutureor call 0300 123 8000.
Carriage club rolls back the years
THE Dyfed Carriage Club,rolled back the years with aspectacular dis- playofhorse drawncarriages recently at the Picton Castle estate in Pembrokeshire. The club hosted the unique Welsh
Tandem Meet where members took part in achallenging displayofhorse- manship where one horse is driven in front of the carriage horse. The competitors then had to nego-
tiate the roads and tracks surrounding the estate foramarathon journeyof seven miles when theyreturned to the forecourt of the Picton Castle for prizes awarded by Nikki Philipps. On the second dayofdriving festiv-
ities, the club hosted the spectacular Harness Horse Blessing, atradition dating back to the advent of the steam train and foundation of the RSPCA in London. The RevPeter Lewis, of Narberth,
performed ablessing service of bless- ing forthe carriage horses. On entry to the castle forecourt, the
10 driven turnouts were topped by the magnificent entrance of the famous St Davids road coach driven by Modris Kesans of Swansea. The coach is owned by international
showjumper David Broome and was built forthe family by the late John Willetts, carriage builder,from Henllan Ceredigion. The road coach wasbased on
designs of horse-drawnroad coaches which carried fare-paying passengers from Cardiff to London before the age of the train.
have died from natural causes or been put to sleep foralegitimate reason, the fact thatthey areall seeminglyhealthyyoung foals does arouse some suspicion as to their cause of death. “Added to this of course is
thatdumping horses illegallyis not the right thing to do. “Asaresponsible horse owner
youmust be prepared to payfor your dead animals to be disposed of correctlyand responsibly usingthe appropriate services.” Anyone with information
about the foals is asked to con- tact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. All calls aretreated in the strictest confidence.
BHS asks for views on turbines
HORSE riders and carriage driv- ers across theUKarebeing given the chance to express their views on wind turbines in asurvey con- ducted by the British Horse Society (BHS). Wind turbines areincreasingly common in parts of Britain, from single domestic installa- tions to large wind farms. Some equestrians arealready
riding or driving close to or among wind turbines,but others areconcerned about the safety of themselves or their horses in the vicinity of turbines. The British Horse Society
wants to identify anyconcerns surrounding wind turbine devel- opments in order to guide its policies and support its respons- es to planning applications. Replies to the questionnaire
will provide evidence of equestri- ans’ needs thatcan be used in responding to proposed turbine developments. ABHS spokesman said: “If
STYLISH: Modris Kesans driving international show jumper David Broome’s St Davids road coach at the Dyfed Carriage Club Harness Horse Blessing at Picton Castle.
Mr Lewis, Nikki Philipps and
Sharon Swift joined the coach with the rest of the carriages foradrive around the tracks and lanes around the castle estate
“This weekend of high profile driv-
ing at Picton Castle wasaforetaste of the proactive work the members of the Dyfed Carriage Club undertake in raising the awareness of the art of car- riage driving. “With members drawnfromall over
Wales, this is nowbecome one of the most prominent and proactive groups in the whole of the United Kingdom,” said club chairman, Lester Dagge. To learn more about the club visit
www.dyfedcarriageclub.co.uk.
For the latest Wales farming news:
walesfarmer.co.uk
youare arider or driveryour experiences and concerns about horses and wind turbines could help to protect the interests of all equestrians around wind farms.” Complete the survey at
www.bhs.org.uk.
Send us news and pictures
email: wfeditor@
walesfarmer.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36