News stories
Amersham rescue update two weeks on
It has been two weeks since the RSPCA Bucks rescue and progress is good.
On 9 January, Redwings was involved in a large rescue of horses from Buckinghamshire and we took in 21 horses, ponies and donkeys that day for veterinary care. This was an RSPCA-led case involving local Police and other charities including the ILPH and the Blue Cross. All organisations concerned worked worked as a team, and Redwings was pleased to involve 30 of its staff and eight horseboxes.
Of those 21, one was a pregnant jenny donkey and on Friday 11th Timothy arrived safely. We are pleased to be able to report that Timothy is doing well and is a playful, inquisitive little fellow and mum Mary is doing a good job!
Two-month old donkey foal Esther is fine though she can be timid at times but mum Martha is always close by. With the remaining horses, ponies and donkeys, progress is good though it should be explained that when they came to us they were subdued. Now they are settling in they are beginning to gain their confidence, which means that personalities are unfolding.
Some are easier to handle, and therefore test and treat, than others and they are all going through handling training at a pace that suits them. As you can appreciate, we really are taking things day by day and they are all still in quarantine. But, on the bright side, the equines now know their routine, which is brilliant – they know when food is imminent and the donkeys in particular gather in anticipation! (When the donkeys start to ‘sing’ – i.e. make what many would consider to be a racket! – we will know they are really happy.) The vast majority are accepting a measure of human fuss even if that just amounts to a rub under the chin.
Maybe you have been curious as to how we name them? Often with large rescues we choose a theme for names, which is why we already have a ‘chocolate group’ and even a ‘cheese group’! The donkeys are being named after people from the Bible, and the horses and ponies after fairytale characters.
Esther, Timothy and a couple of others were in the glow of the media spotlight last week. You may have seen them on BBC Breakfast, Newsround and ITV Late News in particular. We decided to let some media in to photograph or film partly to help highlight our work but mostly to let everyone know how the equines are as we know you have been worried. Be assured that all media coverage has been done with our vet team’s permission and in an unobtrusive and controlled manner focussing on selected equines only. We must say a huge thank you to all media involved for their understanding, co-operation and sensitivity.
A word of thanks must be said to our veterinary, welfare, care and administration teams here at Redwings. Everyone has truly given their all to cope with not only the extra attention but also the extra workload. There are many roles here so whether it has been attending the rescue itself, answering the phone to the worried public, giving treatment to our new arrivals, mucking out stables or shouldering more work with the existing equines we have all been very busy. But these are equines, and for us it is a labour of love.
Redwings is the UK’s largest horse charity and has unique experience in transporting and handling large numbers of unpredictable equines. We have space designated for unexpected arrivals like this, so be assured that there is room for everyone. We have been proud to show everyone what we can do when the need arises.
