News stories
Ponies recovering well after rescue
Thirty-five ponies are recovering well at Redwings after their rescue from a Norfolk riverbank.
On Wednesday 18th February, a team from Redwings, in a joint operation with the RSPCA and Norfolk Constabulary, removed 35 horses from a riverbank in Downham Market, Norfolk.
The RSPCA is now appealing for information about who the ponies belonged to.
The group of ponies were located along a stretch of the riverbank which runs between the River Great Ouse and the railway line. They are all small ponies and many are very young. Their conditions varied from thin to emaciated, with a mare and young foal which were severely emaciated. All of the animals had matted tails and manes and were heavily infested with lice.
All are making a good recovery in Redwings' care.
The decision to remove the horses was taken after a veterinary surgeon visited the area and confirmed that some of the equines were suffering and the others were at risk as a result of lack of food and the extremely waterlogged environment that was littered with rubbish and sharp bits of machinery. The animals were removed on the authority of the police and placed into the care of Redwings on behalf of the RSPCA, which is conducting a thorough investigation.
The team consisted of an RSPCA inspector, chief inspector and 26 Redwings staff as well as Redwings' entire fleet of horseboxes and trailers.
The local police and the RSPCA assisted our expert team to round up the ponies and load them on to our horseboxes. They were being kept in a semi-wild state, which meant they could not be caught and had to be rounded up using pen sections in order that they could be loaded safely and in a way that caused them minimal stress.
RSPCA inspector Jon Knight said: “These ponies were in a very poor condition and could not stay in that environment. The priority now must be to bring them all back to good health, but we desperately need to speak to their owner.
“We would like to thank Redwings, the local World Horse Welfare Field officer and of course Norfolk Police as this was a great team effort.”
Redwings Chief Executive Lynn Cutress said: “Thirty-five ponies is certainly a lot of extra mouths to feed, but however it may stretch our resources, we try to ensure our door is always open in extreme cases like this. We are so happy that we were able to help these poor animals and we are confident they will make a full recovery given the time and expert care that they need.”
Those with information about the owner of the ponies should contact the RSPCA in strictest confidence on 0300 1234 999.
