19 May 2025

Ponies now enjoying a brighter future thanks to multi-agency work on Gelligaer and Merthyr Common

Photo shows two welfare officers looking at ponies on a common.

Redwings Nic de Brauwere and WHW officer on the common.

Working alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare, we are sharing an update on an ongoing project to improve the welfare of the herds of horses on Gelligaer and Merthyr Common.

There are currently around 250 semi-feral ponies living on the commons, the majority of which are unowned. In November 2024, working in partnership with the Gelligaer and Merthyr Commoners’ Association, Redwings was one of the organisations who completed a two-day welfare operation in South Wales.

Assisted by staff from Donkey Sanctuary, British Horse Society, Blue Cross, HorseWorld and Bransby Horses, the charities removed 30 ponies from the common to try and ease the burden on the land before the winter. More than 40 staff from the organisations were involved in the operation.

The ponies were all offered homes via the charities, and the aim of the project is that by removing ponies and aiming to find private homes for them via their rehoming schemes, the welfare of the remaining ponies living in herds on the common will improve, due to numbers being more sustainable for the land.

Photo shows several people holding fencing to contain a pony on the common

A pony being rounded up on Gelligaer common.

In the 2024 operation, 10 ponies went to the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare and Blue Cross respectively as part of the rehoming project. This follows a similar operation in the Autumn of 2023, where 66 ponies were removed – and many are now thriving in their new homes.

Redwings’ specific contribution to these operational days was providing our Welfare vets, and experienced round-up team. With over 20 years of experience of working on the commons our teams bring a wealth of experience in handling semi-feral ponies, as well as the veterinary resources, and our metal pen sections, needed to safely contain, handle and load the ponies.

Whilst we did not bring any ponies in as part of the rehoming project, our commitment to the ponies of Gelligaer continues to be offering a home to cases where the equines may be in need of more intensive veterinary care or specialist behavioural rehabilitation - ponies such as Ducky, Mason and Honey, Bumble and Bee.

A young pony grazes in a large field of grass.

Ducky grazing at Redwings.

Redwings’ Head of Welfare and Behaviour, Nic de Brauwere, said: “This winter, since the removal of these ponies, we have noticed a decline in the number of welfare reports to the charities. Reports we do receive are about individual cases, as opposed to large numbers of the population, which is what we had experienced in the past, in the 20 years that Redwings has been working on the commons in South Wales alongside our partners. This project sees us embrace the challenges in a much more structured way to achieve long-term change.

Roxane Kirton, RSPCA Head Vet (Equine), said: “This operation forms part of a wider strategic project, working alongside Redwings, World Horse Welfare and the Commoners Association, on a long-term herd management plan that can be overseen and implemented locally, and aims to reduce the numbers of ponies to a sustainable level in a way that supports good equine welfare. This will include cataloguing all the residents and removing those ponies who have a high chance of a good life in a private home.”

Redwings’ ongoing work to support the vulnerable herds on Gelligaer and Merthyr Common is only possible thanks to your support. Thank you #RedwingsAngels