Caerphilly County Borough Council and Redwings Horse Sanctuary have been involved in a large-scale rescue of horses from a farm in South Wales. Fifteen are now in the care of the charity in Norfolk.
Redwings Head of Welfare and Senior Vet Nicolas de Brauwere was asked to visit a site in South Wales by Caerphilly Council after concerns had been raised for the welfare of a number of ponies on the site. Following a veterinary inspection, the owner agreed to sign over 21 ponies into the care of the welfare charities.
Ten staff from Redwings attended, along with representatives from the Council and Bristol-based charity HorseWorld. Fifteen have been taken to Redwings in Norfolk while six went initially to HorseWorld. Three of these six will be taken in by The Blue Cross in Rolleston at a later date.
The fifteen ponies at Redwings, which includes mares with young foals, are in poor health, and are now receiving feed and veterinary treatment. Many are also very nervous and will need significant rehabilitation work over the coming months.
Cllr Rob Gough said: “This was an excellent example of a local authority working with animal welfare organisations to protect animals in need. The operation was a major success and I’d like to thank all concerned for their efforts. These horses are now receiving expert care to get them back to health.”
Nicolas de Brauwere from Redwings said: “Many of the ponies were in very poor condition and in order to act in their best interest it was crucial that we took action as soon as possible to remove them. We were able to intervene using the Animal Welfare legislation to get the ponies signed over into our care. I am delighted to say that they are gathering strength already and we are optimistic that they will make a full recovery.”