Wales Farmer February 2013 EQUESTRIAN/COUNTRYSIDE By Farmer reporter


PEOPLE arebeing urged to report incidentsofthe growing problem of fly grazing


and horse


abandonment. Deputy minister foragricul-


tureAlun Davies has urged peo- ple to report anyinstances of the illegal activity immediatelytothe authorities. Mr Davies said: “The behav-


iour of those horse owners who seek to avoid their responsibilities through the practice of abandon-


■ Public urgedto report problems


ment or flygrazing will not be tolerated anywhereinWales. “I would stronglyadvise land-


owners whofind themselves vic- tims of flygrazing to come for- ward and report incidents and any associated anti-social behaviour.” Mr Davies has called on police


and local authorities to vigorous- ly enforce the availablelegislation to deal with the issue. He added: “What’scalled foris


the vigorous use of availableleg- islation to respond to flygrazing and abandonment of horses and ponies.


Pioneering op gets horses back on feet


APEMBROKESHIRE veteri- nary practice is giving newhope to horses whomight otherwise have to be put down because of leg injuries. At one time broken bones


inevitablymeant the heartbreak- ing news thatahorse wasno longer viable. But treatment being offered


by Cotts Equine Hospital in Robeston Wathen is nowpush- ing the boundaries of what is possible in Wales. Three horses with broken leg


bones have recentlybeen dis- charged from the hospital. They included one of the


UK’sleading breeding stallions, whowas successfullytreated by veterinary surgeon Richard Coomer with anew technique called transfixation pin casting.


This fixestwo large pins in the


shin bone abovethe repaired break. The American-manufac- tured implants arethen incorpo- rated into acast. “The idea is thatthe horse


then walks on these pins and thence through the cast, leaving everything belowitsupported so thatthe broken bone doesn’t have to bear weight and the break can knit itself together,” said Richard. The stallion, 11-year-old


Corrovale,had abrokenbone belowthe fetlock thatwas in multiple unstablefragments and could not have been convention- allyrepaired with screws. He spent 50 days as apatient at Cotts after his operation and is nowwalking very comfortably at home.


“Therewas aless than 50/50


chance thatthe operation would be asuccess,but thankfullyhe pulled through,”said his owner Marnie Venables,ofGreenvale Stud, Cross Hands,near Llanelli. “PreviouslyIwould have had


to takehim to Newmarketfor a similar operation, as therewas certainlynobodyelse in Wales whocould do it, and unless we travelled out of Wales he would have had to be put down. “Richardwas wonderful, and


the aftercareatCotts was brilliant.”


❑ EQUINE EXCELLENCE: Vet


RichardCoomerwith Corrovale.


PICTURE: Gareth Davies Photography


Plan for an easier ride


AFREE service can save time and money forpeople hoping to submit aplanning application to


PembrokeshireCoast


National Park Authority. Potential applicants arebeing


encouraged to use the authori- ty’spre-application service. Jane Gibson, director of park


direction and planning, said: “Around 600 applications are submitted to us every year, manywithout the correct level of detail required forregistra- tion, which can cause immense frustration and delay. “The national parkauthority offers afreepre-application


service to anyone wishing to submit aplanning application which we would encourageall potential applicants to use. “Prospective applicants pro-


vide details of their proposal on asimple form and we then advise about the application and provision of keydocuments such as ownership certificates or current mapinformation before they go to the expense of the application submission. “Submitting the wrong


paperworkorout-of-date docu- ments with an application can often lead to an application being invalid, and the fee being


lost as well as knock-on effects due to lost time.” The service has already


receivedpraise from applicants whofound the idea smoothed the way. The Welsh Government is


currentlypromoting pre-appli- cation services across planning authorities in Wales to improve the quality of applications and help reduce the time taken to deal with aformal application. The pre-application enquiry


form is availabletodownload from www.pembrokeshirecoast. org.uk or call 0845 345 7275 for moreinformation.


Walkerstake abig step towardsbetter health


FUNDING from the Welsh Government’s rights of way improvement plan grant programme has enabled Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority to buy two more mobility scooters, making atotal of three now available at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids, Newport Visitor Centre and Tenby National Park Visitor Centre. Oriel yParc manager Paula Ellis said: “The scooter is already proving apopular additional service and we have had several satisfied visitors use it to enjoy the beautiful landscape we have locally.”


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


AWALKING project that began as apart-time venture has seen twogroups celebrate ayear of committed walking, despite the challenges posed by the unpredictable weather.


Such has been the success of


the Walkability Project, estab- lished last year by the Pembrokeshire


Coast


National Park Authority and Sport Wales, that extrafund- ing wasgranted this autumn, enabling its programme co- ordinator to work full-time.


The authority’sproject co- ordinator Paul Casson said: “The project began in August 2011, and this month two groups are celebrating ayear of walking.


“Anopen group has com-


pleted more than 40 walks at venues across the national park, from the Preseli Hills in the north to Stackpole in the south.”


through


Funding has been secured the


Welsh


Government’sSustainable Development Fund to provide transport forgroups to arange of walking routes.


Chief medical officer for


Wales, Dr Ruth Hussey, said: “Walking is easy,gentle exer- cise and agreat waytoget active. It’sthe perfect exercise to start doing in small amounts and build slowly,and small lifestyle changes can have abig impact on your health.”


27 Crackdown on fly grazing “I am satisfied thatthereisa


clear commitment and awilling- ness from all agencies involved to work together in arobust manner to deal with this problem.” Aformal period of consulta-


tion on the need forstronger leg- islation to deal with flygrazing will open in 2013. Chief ConstableofGwent


Police,Carmel Napier,who leads on the issue of flygrazing forthe chief constables in Wales,added: “For anumber of years parts of Wales have experienced arange of problems associated with dumped or abandoned horses


Incidents of fly grazing and any associated anti-social behaviour can be reported to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, to the police via 101 or by email to the Welsh Government at equinepolicy@wales.gsi.gov.uk.


and ponies. “The problem is increasing


with reports extending to local authority areas in manyparts of Wales,but especiallyalong the M4 corridor. “Aspart of my all-Wales


Community Safety portfolio,I will be working with interested parties,including local authori-


ties,the RSPCA and other chari- ties,toformulate an appropriate multi-agency response to combat the issue. “Wewill of course be interest-


ed in the outcome of the Welsh Government reviewofthe exist- ing legal framework fortackling flygrazing, and will work closely with ministers going forward.”


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