Rescue stories
Future secured for Powys ponies
The owner of 36 very young ponies - rescued by Redwings in February this year - was yesterday sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work. Expert vet for the prosecution Nicolas de Brauwere described the condition of the ponies as “ranking among the worst I have witnessed in my professional life”.
Richard Williams of Cwmdare, Aberdare was sentenced by Brecon Law Courts yesterday (Thursday 18 November) after pleading guilty to five offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
As well as the community order to carry out the unpaid work, Mr Williams was also ordered to contribute £3,000 towards the prosecution costs. The successful prosecution was led by Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service.
The ponies were being kept in a cramped Brecon yard where they had to stand huddled fetlock-deep in wet cold mud and droppings. The tiny young ponies were also kept in a barn with a herd of fully grown cattle where the battle for feed was inevitably lost against the heavy cows.
When Redwings attended – at the request of Powys County Council - they found a very distressing scene. The ponies were partially caked in mud, faeces and urine and had no or little body fat; all were extremely bony. Their dull and listless bodies were also battered with a number of complaints including worms, evidence of lice, coughs, bowel problems, atrophy (muscle wastage) and were overwhelmed with infection.
The ponies were in a very poor state when we found them
We sent 14 staff and five lorries to carry out the operation and all 36 of the ponies were removed by Redwings, using specialist handling techniques, as all were virtually unhandled and terrified of people. Five of the ponies were offered a home at The HorseWorld Trust in Bristol, while the remaining 31 came to us in Norfolk to receive extensive treatment.
Many of the ponies were starving and some were on the verge of collapse
“Overall, the condition of these ponies was extremely distressing,” explains our Head of Welfare & Senior Veterinary Surgeon Nic de Brauwere. “All were weak and painfully thin through their Winter coats and some were on the verge of collapse. Three of the ponies were so bad they passed away in the following days and weeks despite our best efforts and another was lost through complications in surgery. However, the remaining 27 are thriving and behaving like boisterous, healthy young ponies rather than the listless, filthy, starving group we rescued.”
In his statement to the court, Nic described how he felt that the ponies were not “in a suitable environment, they were not offered a suitable diet, they were unable to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, they were not appropriately housed and they were not protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.”
The ponies turned out for the first time at Redwings!
Redwings has its own horse hospital on site so immediate, round-the-clock care could be put into place as soon as the ponies arrived. “An extraordinary amount of veterinary time, effort and expense had to be invested into these ponies to save them,” continues Nic. “The ponies needed antibiotics, de-worming, de-lousing and a carefully planned diet to restore their health without overloading their stomachs and intestines. It was not until some eight weeks later that the ponies started to show behaviour consistent with young, fit ponies. From the beginning we have also had to teach them to trust humans as they just had barely had any contact with them.”
...and as they look now, grazing happily
Now the court case has been finalised and the ponies have been signed over to the charities involved. It is possible that some of the 27 ponies in Norfolk will be re-homed under Redwings’ Guardianship Scheme which will ensure they remain in the ownership of the charity but live as part of an active family home. As they will never be sold, their futures are safe.
Cllr Graham Brown, Board Member responsible for Public Protection, said: “This case sends out a clear message to all animal owners and carers that they need to take their responsibilities seriously and that companion animals, such as ponies, are looked after properly.
“Criminal proceedings are often the last resort as we endeavour to take proportionate action in such matter but we will not stand by and see animals suffering due to matters such as poor diet, failure to have treatment or a poor environment. Where necessary, we will take strong and effective enforcement action through the courts.”
The ponies have been named by Redwings staff after singers and movie stars and the group includes Sammy, Davis, Dizzy, Gillespie, Big Bopper, Chuck Berry and Doris Day.
If you would like to donate to help us care for these adorable ponies, please visit our Donations page or telephone us on 01508 481010.
Report a welfare concern
If you want to report a horse, pony or donkey that you are concerned about, please see our get in touch section.
