donkeys Many of our readers own donkeys and we’ve been introduced to two of them... Meet Pablo and Miley Cyrus


Suzanne Truesdale rescued her miniature donkey Pablo from slaughter when he was just a yearling. She says; “He’s three years old now and has been with me since I rescued him. He enjoys living at my yard with his big horsey brothers CoCo and Squire, and his girlfriend Daisy the donkey, down in Cloughey, Co Down, Northern Ireland.


“Pablo enjoys walks along the beach, and lots of kisses and cuddles. Recently he’s has taken up donkey showing and we have just joined the donkey breed society. We are looking forward to Dublin horse show on Sunday 13th August - it will be our first big show together. He really is a donkey of a lifetime.


Marita Barr’s Miley Cyrus is the most recent donkey the family has bred. Marita, who lives in Dumfries & Galloway, says: “She is eight years old now and has many jobs here including Nannie, alarm clock and Security (she braes every time we have visitors). She is kept on par with our two horses, including having her own array of rugs, her own shelter, along with regular visits from the Farrier and Dentist. She loves freshly pulled thistles and is a master of entering the feed room whenever she can. “She’s super for entertaining whichever horse is left at home on competition days and she equally enjoys winding them up with a good hoolie round the field!”


Pablo and Suzanne enjoy showing and are looking forward to Dublin horse show this month


Pablo and his friend Andy at their first show


Security donkey Miley Cyrus alerts owner Marita to all visitors with an unmissable brae!


Miley Cyrus, aka ‘Nannie’, just keeping an eye on everyone


Fly-grazing donkey Delilah has secure future


One of World Horse Welfare’s more unusual rescue cases recently came in the form of a young donkey found fly- grazing at various locations around Middlesex including a supermarket car park and outside of a doctor’s surgery, whilst being travelled and ‘stabled’ overnight in the back of a transit van.


Delilah, as she has been named, is now in the care of World Horse Welfare’s Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre enjoying a much more traditional donkey life as she undergoes rehabilitation. World Horse Welfare Field Officer, Nick White,


had previously visited Delilah, advising her owners on the care she required and providing forage. He said: “The first time I was alerted to Delilah, she was less than a year old, very frightened and living overnight in the back of a transit van, which she had to jump up into. The van had no ventilation and only rags on the floor with no fresh air and would have been very cold during the winter nights. During the day she was tethered in the car park of a DIY superstore near Heathrow and her owners would not be parted with her, despite my offers to take her into the charity’s care. “I continued to monitor her


condition and saw her in a number of different locations. On a visit one day in March, Delilah was clearly exhausted and lying on the grass outside of a local doctor’s surgery with no water. This is clearly not ideal for any equine, but particularly for donkeys who rely so heavily on companionship and at such a young age too. I knew we had to try and get her out of this situation. “I met with the people who had been caring for her and it became apparent that her previous owners had moved on, leaving Delilah behind and with no provisions for her care. Her current carers were about to be evicted and could not take Delilah with them so they gladly signed her over into World Horse Welfare’s ownership. Delilah was then transported to our Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre where she has since been undergoing rehabilitation and learning all about what the life of an equine should be.


Delilah outside the doctor’s surgery with Field Officer Nick White www.theequinesite.co.uk


“Coming across a fly-grazing donkey is certainly not a common occurrence in my job with World Horse Welfare but thankfully we were able to save Delilah from this situation and she now has a bright future ahead.”


Delilah has been thriving in her new life and is enjoying making lots of new friends with the various horses and ponies at World Horse Welfare’s Somerset Rescue and Rehoming Centre. Delilah’s friendly nature and good looks have already proved a hit with visitors to Glenda Spooner Farm and a recent competition to find a fitting name for this furry donkey had over 100 entries. The winning name was suggested by visitor Kate in honour of her daughter, Delilah, and an official naming ceremony is soon to take place.


Delilah in World Horse Welfare’s care


Equine Page 19


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  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64