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Wales, as I am sure you are all too aware, has been hit severely by storms almost every weekend since the start of February. The storms have caused flooding and terrible damage to buildings, homes and businesses. Many horses have also suffered because of the storms due to flooded fields, lack of shelter from damaged stables and field shelters and sadly some have also been stranded by broken riverbanks. During this period, we been inundated with calls from across Wales by concerned members of the public about horses trapped by floods, tethered horses and horses stood masses of mud. We are so grateful that so many members of the public have been looking out for these horses and we were able to attend to many of these calls ourselves, with other organisations helping with calls many miles away in the North of Wales. We helped ensure horses were moved to high ground and advised owners about preparing for the storms to safeguard the horse’s health and welfare as much as possible.
There were many concerns about horses without rugs but so long as the horse is in good body condition and good health there is often no need for a horse to wear a rug as their hair coats are waterproof. This is especially true for native pony breeds and Cobs as they are very hardy and built to sustain harsh weather, provided there is sufficient forage and shelter either man made or natural.
Many fields are saturated by the onslaught of the rain that we have had to endure therefore there are many horses in what appears to be muddy boggy fields. Provided there is an area of dry land, for the horse stand and lie down on, it is considered to be OK, as awful as it is to see sometimes.
Due to the wet weather conditions we have been seeing much more Thrush and Mud Fever and we have recently published some fact sheets about these conditions on our social media platforms. Also, our trustee Melissa has been very busy producing some excellent fact sheets on other common conditions and diseases which will be made available in our new resources section on the website soon.
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DIRE SITUATIONS
The first few months of 2020 have been exceptionally busy and we have assisted many members of the community whom would otherwise go unnoticed and their horses untreated due to financial reasons, embarrassment or not knowing where to turn or who to trust. Fear causes us to do many odd and unreasonable things but being brave enough to step out of that situation and seek the assistance that is required is something that we will always be in awe of. Putting aside the repercussions of actions and doing what is for the best is truly admirable. In the instances that we have seen recently it has been bereavement and struggle, ostracization and judgement, spiralling situations out of control, where when we have arrived we have been too late to make a lasting living difference to the lives that we have intervened with.
One such case we encountered recently was of a horse that had sustained an injury that had been left untreated for a considerable amount of time. The owner, despite receiving advise from professionals, had buried their head in the sand and did what they considered was best for the horse. This unfortunately was not the right decision and whilst they did what they could within their means to ensure the horse was OK, it was not sufficient. There is no magical cure for some ailments and long-term quality of life has to be considered. We do not have a magic wand to make everything better all the time and sometimes we just have to convince the owner to do the right thing for their horse or pony when there are no other options to end the suffering. However, saying that goodbye to any animal is never easy, but knowing that you are relieving that animal of long-term suffering and pain is the right decision, however upsetting.
Knowing that we can be there to support and assist owners, who feel that have no way out of a difficult situation, is what makes us unique. Not all owners require prosecution, many need assistance, a friendly face, an opportunity and sometimes just someone to listen and offer solutions to problems that just become too much.
There is no problem too difficult to solve or not worthy of our time. What we are and what we stand for is helping people and horses in their communities, without judgement or persecution. Many consider our way of working soft, we consider it as working at the root causes and solving long term issues that others deem as a blight on our landscapes.
We do not turn a blind eye to bad welfare, we offer a solution, if that is assistance with understanding causes and how to treat or forging relationships with suppliers and professionals alike, we will do it. That is what we do for the horses and humans that we encounter on a daily basis.
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2020 Making New Friends and building relationships
The equine welfare crisis is not one that can be fought alone. In order to change or have any form of impact you have to work together. That is why in 2020, we aim to extend and continue our working relationships with reputable organisations across the UK. If you follow us on social media platforms, you will often see us sharing organisation posts. We believe every horse deserves the love that they require, so we share lots of re-homing posts. If another organisation has a project of a post that we believe is a valuable informative article, we will also share.
You are never too old to learn. Working in this industry and doing what we can, for those that have no voice, deserves encouragement and support from like-minded organisations and individuals.
We are grateful to each and everyone of you whom regularly share our posts.
Thank You!
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What has our equine welfare officer been up to?
February was an extremely wet and blustery month, but it didn't stop us from attending calls! One call involved a yearling that appeared to be stuck in makeshift halter. We located the owner and discussed appropriate use of equipment.
Thou Shalt Not Eat welfare officer, this cheeky lady was feeling a little peckish and decided that my jacket tasted rather nice!
We love our dog walking friends and recently they altered us to 8 horses that were grazing loose on local authority land. These horses were totally unhandled and feral and located in a very built up urban area which made collection incredibly difficult. However, this was achieved, it and the horses were put on an abandonment notice allowing the owner the time to collect and claim ownership.
The storms brought an influx of calls regarding horse trapped by burst riverbanks, high tides and severely flooded fields. We attended several calls and ensured that the horses were safe on high ground and had sufficient forage and shelter.
We also attended a very tragic case which required veterinary assistance from our wonderful colleagues at Cotts Equine Vets. Both myself and super vet Holly Thomas worked tirelessly to assist a little mare who was suffering from toxic shock due to the death of the foal that she was carrying. She was not in the best of condition and struggling in immense pain. We had no option but to surround her with the love that she had never known and give her peace, with the owner’s permission.
When we get called to cases like this the health and welfare of the horse in question comes before anything else and we will do whatever is required within the law to relieve suffering. We are currently working with the owner in this case and advising on the best practices to enable them to improve the welfare of their horses.
Again, we cannot thank the persons who brought this to our attention enough. It takes great courage in some communities to speak up, we are proud of you and thank you for allowing us the opportunity ease this little ladies pain and suffering.
Other calls included another emaciated heavily pregnant mare, who again was being fly grazed. We attended fully equipped with essential items to assist the mare, however discovered that her body condition score was 1.5 with her spine visible, her hip bones jutting out and her baby hanging from her spine, she was so skinny. We along with the local authority safely loaded this mare to a destination where she would be fed, warm and dry and receive veterinary treatment. We believe that her emaciated condition was potentially caused by dental issues, as she was clearly having difficulty eating.
We cannot thank our supporters enough, without your donations we would be unable to attend these cases. What you do and your support does make a difference, you could never understand how much it means to us and most importantly them.
Thank You.
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How can you support us?
You can support us whilst you do your shopping! On Amazon Smile UK, just enter Communities For Horses as your chosen charity and Amazon will donate. 0.5% of the value of your order directly to us. The cost of your product does not change.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1180625-0
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Give as you Live
Every time you shop online you could raise FREE ££'s for us! It takes 2 mins to sign up to @GiveasyouLive and they'll turn a percentage of everything you buy into a donation to us.
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💸 It's free
📱 There's a handy app
🛍️ There are over 4,300 stores!
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We have an Amazon Wish List.
We would be most grateful if you could assist us with purchasing some of our everyday or training items.
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Thank you Jayne Jorden for your donation. We would also like to thank our regular donors Sarah Smith, Holly Thomas ,Jenni Nellist and Jane Cartledge, who has recently set up a regular donation. The donations that we receive enable us to cover some of the costs associated with attending welfare calls. Many of the calls that we attend allow us to change the welfare status of the horses for the better - whether the horse is compromised regarding mental, environmental or physical welfare.
One of our wonderful new supporters has very kindly offered to cover our telephone costs for a whole year by setting up a direct debit direct to Communities For Horses Bank Account. Not only that, she has also very very kindly purchased the very essential boot gloves that we requested from our Amazon Wish List. We are so very grateful. Thank You Sonia Capper!
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