| Essex Horse And Pony Protection Society |
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SUCCESS STORIES |
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FROM RAGS TO RICHES
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EHPPS, like many of the equine welfare centres around the Country, receives countless calls from horse owners asking us to take their horses in – with reasons varying from they can no longer afford to keep the horse, their marriage has broken up, the children have lost interest, the horse is no longer rideable – the lists is endless. Time and again we have to explain that EHPPS was formed as a rescue and rehabilitation centre – not a retirement home. Believe us, the cruelty cases we deal in keep us more than busy – in both time and cost – so retiring horses is simply not something we could even consider.
We INVESTIGATE welfare concerns, RESCUE where required, REHABILITATE and, wherever possible, REHOME through our Fostering Scheme. Every time one of our horses or ponies is placed in a foster home, a valuable space is created for us to help another needy case. Fostered horses remain in the ownership of this Charity for the rest of their lives and they are strictly monitored by our team of Fostering Officers on a regular basis.
Here we highlight some of the horses we have rescued and eventually placed into foster homes. These horses have been rescued from abject cruelty and neglect - thanks to EHPPS and YOU, our supporters, these horses have gone on to lead happy and useful lives in their foster homes – literally FROM RAGS TO RICHES.
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From Rags to Riches
MEGAN
Bay Hackney X Mare—14.2hh
Date of Birth: 1992
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DATE OF RESCUE
21 MARCH 1996
Megan came to us via the RSPCA. She was emaciated and her coat was full of lice on arrival at the Sanctuary and very very nervous indeed. It took our staff a long time to earn Megan’s trust.
Megan was in foal when she came to us, but aborted a dead foal shortly after her arrival. The baby died possibly due to Megan’s very poor condition. Megan is definitely a one-person horse and has flourished under the care of her foster mum, Jacqueline Locke.
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| Megan on Arrival at EHPPS |
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Megan - March 2008 |
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Megan went on foster to Jacqueline Locke on 21 November 1998
Megan and I have been together now for nine and a half years. She is a quirky mare to say the least! She can be very temperamental and at times stubborn, but despite the bad treatment she suffered in the past, she is a very kind horse, gregarious within her herd and has never offered to kick or bite the humans around her. She will hack our alone or in company, is quite happy schooling in the menage and jumps if required! A good all rounder as they say, but life was not always like this with Megan. I first met Megan one cold windy November day. After losing my beloved mare in a tragic field accident, it was suggested to me by a friend taking on a rescue horse. The loss of my mare had been very traumatic to me, and giving the benefit of a home, love and experience to a horse that had been mistreated helped make something positive out of my sadness. So here we are my husband and I, trudging across the Sanctuary’s fields to view Megan. She greeted us with ears back and a grumpy face, but she let me, a stranger to her (which I later discovered Megan doesn't always do strangers!), put a headcollar on her and pick up all four feet with little resistance. I was also informed by the sanctuary staff she weaves, rears, has sweet itch and does not like water! I thought “Yes, this is the horse for me!”. The next 12 months were very challenging and up and down, but eventually she settled down as much as we felt she was going to. We got into a good routine, she was happy with her field mates and life trundled on as it does for the next few years. Then about 2 years ago we had a blip. A huge blip. Megan's behaviour became unpredictable and erratic. Her stressing became almost unmanageable. I was convinced she had a brain tumour. My vet could find nothing wrong physically, so in desperation I contacted a person called Lewis Blackburn who practices natural horsemanship, and is well known in his field for helping horses with problems. Over the next 4 months Lewis helped re-build Megan's confidence and restore our relationship. The compassion , understanding and knowledge Lewis showed to both Megan and myself was outstanding. Thanks to his training Megan is a wall balance happy horse, and his teachings will help me keep her that way, which of course makes me a happy person! So that brings us to now. We have a lovely relationship and having a horse like Megan has opened my eyes to what really makes horses tick. It may have been a long rocky road, but the rewards of knowing you have made a difference are tenfold. My daughter Zoe, who is only six years old, wanted to make a contribution to Megan's story. Until I had Zoe, to my knowledge Megan has never been around children, but she has always behaved impeccably with Zoe, and sometimes even behaves better with her than me! This is Zoe's observations of Megan: “Megan goes crazy sometimes in the field and she goes galloping down the field with her friends.” One happy horse—A perfect end to “Megan's Story”. Jacqueline Locke
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From Rags to Riches
ALFIE ("STORM")
Tricolour Cob Gelding—15.1hh
Date of Birth: 1992
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ADMITTED TO EHPPS BY RSPCA - 11 JUNE 1992
Alfie (“Storm”) was just six months old when he came into EHPPS’ care. His mum, Lady, had been found collapsed on the ground, eating mud in an attempt to stay alive. Her colt foal, Alfie, was standing by her side. Lady died a sad and unnecessary death just 48 after arrival at the Sanctuary. She was just 4 years old. It almost seemed that once she knew her baby was safe, she drew her last breath. Lady and Storm’s owner was successfully prosecuted by the RSPCA’s legal team—a meagre price indeed to pay for the appalling suffering she caused.
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Alfie - Some Weeks After his Arrival at EHPPS |
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Alfie - 2007 |
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ALFIE JOINED CHRIS DONLEY AND HER FAMILY BACK IN 1995
I am not the greatest rider in the world, and I just had enough of riding horses with ‘problems’ this one rears, this one bucks, this one has no brakes, all problems that I didn’t need - so I decided I would find a youngster and teach him to ride, my way. I went to the EHPPS and found Storm – so called as it was a wintry night when he was rescued – I kept Storm as his show name and rechristened him Alfie. So Alfie and I got to know each other, we started doing in-hand shows, winning many rosettes and trophies in the coloured and youngstock classes, and we learnt to ride together. He grew to 15.1hh and we did a bit of everything, we have ridden English, side saddle and Western. We even had a go at long reining. The Western saddle is the best fitting for him, and very comfortable for me for hacking out in……We have done some jumping, some dressage but mostly we have had lots of fun hacking around Essex, taking part in many sponsored rides and we have had a great time together,. The last 13 years have been full of fun, he has mostly gone along with what I want to do but sometimes he puts his hooves down and wont budge ! Like the time we had completed the Beeleigh ride – 4 hours in the saddle and 2 hours to get him back in the trailer to go home! We hit a hard time 3 years ago when he suddenly went down with laminitis – a real shock, and after a nail biting 8 months box rest he came out of it with a ‘sinker’ in one foot and a ‘rotation’ in the other…we consider ourselves lucky to have made it through as the odds were against him…he is now only 15 and we watch his weight like a hawk, he has restricted access to grass, and he has to be exercised – a stabled horse gets bored and fat !. We can only walk on our hacks now, never again will we trot on a hard surface as his feet cant take it– If the laminitis comes back again he may not be so lucky.
Alfie survived neglect as a foal – thanks to the EHPPS, and thanks to wonderful vet care and great friends in my yard who kept him occupied and me sane whilst on box rest, he survived again…..I hope we can have many more years together plodding about the bridleways. I trust that horse with my life (riding on the road these days is not for the feint hearted) and that of my kids (9 year old Jamie and Gabi aged 6) ride him, on lead rein out on the bridleways, off lead rein in the menage. In return he has his every need pampered to – my 6 year old regularly grooms him, she has to stand on a box to reach higher than the top of his legs, but he stands still and waits for her brush him, he’s not keen on baths but does love a good mutual scratching session …… the best sound in the world is the greeting I get from him each day, and the best feeling in the world is of his whiskery chin nuzzling my ear, often coming to rest on my shoulder.
His mum only lived till she was 4 years old – dying of malnutrition and neglect, but her foal aged 6 months at the time of her death, has grown into a striking coloured gelding who is very much a part of our family.Chris Donley
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JERICHO
Chestnut Welsh Section A Gelding—11.2hh
Date of Birth: 1993
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Jericho on Arrival at EHPPS
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DATE OF RESCUE - 1999
EHPPS was one of the many animal welfare organisation called to a location by the Police.. For some months, they had been investigating a drugs ring in the Essex area and their enquiries had led them to an isolated farmhouse. The Officers found a large number of assorted animals hidden in a dark, filthy barn. Most of the animals were dead and rotting; those that had survived were living skeletons. There were two ponies, Jericho and his companion, Jacob) and an assortment of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, chinchillas and goats – the starving survivors were living amongst the corpses. The RSPCA took the surviving dogs, puppies, goats and chinchillas; The Cats’ Protection League took the cats and kittens and EHPPS took Jacob and Jericho.
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Jerry and Brooke - September 2007
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It took us some weeks to get their increase their weight and build their muscles up, which had become badly wasted due to being confined in the barn for so long. Understandably, they were both very scared of people for a long time, but they gradually came to trust us, realising that all we wanted to do was to care for them. Both ponies eventually went on to make a full recovery.
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JERRY WENT ON FOSTER TO EMMA FIELD ON 13 JANUARY 2006
When I first received a call from EHPPS about the possibility of fostering Jericho, I must admit I wasn’t too sure about him. Jerry was described to me as a Chestnut pony with four white socks and a white face. I thought “Oh no, this doesn’t sound anything like what my ideal pony would look like!” How wrong could I have been? As I pulled into the Sanctuary car park for my first meeting with Jerry, I saw Stable Manager, Sam Edwards, leading him in from the fields. As soon as I saw him, he tugged at my heart strings and came straight up to me for a kiss. He immediately gently nuzzled Brooke, my daughter who was just two years old at the time, and I knew then he was the pony for us! Brooke and Jerry have developed a strong bond during the two years they have been together and they are perfect for each other. Our main aim is to give Jerry the best possible life, to love and care for him until his last days. Brooke is slowly learning to ride on Jerry and we are hoping to take part in lead rein and first ridden soon. I understand that Jerry is not as young as he so obviously feels, so he is worked on a light basis until he feels he’s had enough. For now, we enjoy the in-hand and lead rein classes, along with plenty of cuddles and kisses and lots of fun. Jerry’s nickname on our yard is “Damian” because he can be a proper rascal at times, although he is always an angel around Brooke. It’s been a pleasure seeing Brooke gain confidence with this smashing little pony. Although a “titch”, Jerry loves being turned out with the “big boys” - I think he mentally gains a few hands in his mind and is quite dominant. He thinks nothing of playing with fellow EHPPS foster horse Maverick, who stands at 18.1hh. The photo on the right shows Brooke and Jerry at the Sponsored Pyjama Ride in September 2007, which my livery yard organised to raise funds for EHPPS’ Foal Fund.Emma Field.
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From Rags to Riches
MARTINI
Bay Welsh Section B Mare—12.2hh
Date of Birth: 1997
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DATE OF RESCUE
1 FEBRUARY 1999
Martini, and six of her companions, were placed into our care by the RSPCA. All were seriously underweight on arrival and carrying heavy worm burdens. At the time Martini and her companions were seized, six other ponies had to be left with owner under a warning to improve conditions. Basically, although poor, the RSPCA were only able to seize the worst of the cases, the rest were borderline.
The RSPCA legal team went on to win a successful prosecution against the owner, who was banned from keeping horses. The ban meant that the remaining six ponies were subsequently taking from her care and placed in another equine welfare centre, where their future safety and wellbeing were assured.
This photo shows how this sweet llittle pony has flourished under the loving care of foster "mum", Linda Herod.
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MARTINI WENT ON FOSTER TO LINDA HEROD ON 4 MARCH 2002
I fostered Martini in March 2002, I needed a companion pony for my horse Oska as I had to have my other horse Zebedee put down due to cancer. When I arrived at EHPPS’s Pitsea-based Sanctuary, I was shown some lovely ponies who were waiting for a new home and there was Martini and her friend Cinzano, then the decision of which one! Martini got the deciding vote, I think it was those big sad eyes. Once all the paper work and home visit was completed it was soon the day to collect her. The weather was horrendous and the girls had spent nearly two hours trying to get Martini from the field, then it was the job of catching her to load into the lorry. She gave everyone the run around, but after about half an hour we caught her. Amazingly she loaded without too much of a fight.
Once back at her new home she made good friends with Oska, sometimes they were just too clicky, if one messed about the other joined in. Martini was a nightmare to catch for at least the first two years! She was determined not to give in to us, but saying that she became very good friends with my son, Samuel who at the time was only small and he gave her the name Pop-Pop, which everyone now calls her. When I lost Oska in August to Cushings disease she coped extremely well. The first day in the field on her own was sad, she spent a long time looking for him but eventually came round and settled down.. Then the new arrival, Harry, a 15.3 cob is in her field! So true to her gutsy self, she marched up to him looked up in his face, squealed then let him have both barrels; the look of horror on his face was a picture, they are now friends (ish) as long as she stays 20ft away from him. Samuel is now seven and still adores her. I wouldn’t be without her and when you look back at all the hard work just getting her to trust someone again it was well worth it, we can touch her face without her leaping ten feet and she comes in without any hassle. If I had to, I would do it all again, I just wish I had the finances and the room to take on another pony. Perhaps one day! Linda Herod
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From Rags to Riches
KATIE
Cob X Welsh Chestnut Mare—14.2hh
Date of Birth: 1990
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Katie Now
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DATE OF RESCUE - 12 DECEMBER 2000
Katie was in a pitiful condition when she came to us in December 2000. She had delivered a stillborn foal, but had retained the placenta, resulting in toxic laminitis, making Katie dangerously ill at the time. Katie went on to make a full physical recovery, but the mental scars of her suffering took much longer to heal. She was almost impossible to catch and very timid around people. Dawn is one of our long serving volunteers and Committee Members and over the course of time, Dawn and Katie formed a strong bond. Dawn spent as much of her spare time as possible gaining Katie’s trust, and eventually fostered Katie from the Society in Decemberl 2003.
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Katie - does her foster mum
Dawn proud
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KATIE WENT ON FOSTER TO DAWN HUCKLE IN DECEMBER 2003
Hello my name is Dawn, I have been a volunteer at the sanctuary for many years. This is my story of how I came to foster Katie, a 14hh Chestnut Welsh Cob. Katie arrived at the sanctuary in December 2000 suffering from toxic laminitis caused by a retained placenta. Katie was also very wary of people probably due to being mistreated by her previous owners. After making a full recovery she was then backed at Burches Riding Centre by Lynne Bush and her team and three months later she returned to the sanctuary. Despite her schooling, Katie was still very nervous around people.
I was given the task of trying to regain Katie's trust in people so she would be able to go out on foster. Our work started slowly as the first challenge was to actually try and catch her, but with time and plenty of patience we started to gain each others trust, and after a while she became easy to catch and even started to enjoy being groomed. I was then offered the opportunity of fostering Katie for myself, and, after some consideration of the commitment involved and with the full support of my partner Andy, we moved Katie to her new home on Canvey Island in December 2003. Katie and I have had our ups and downs but the main thing is she has a comfortable home and gets plenty of TLC. Five years on, and with the help and encouragement of many friends I have now been riding Katie for just over two years, something that was unimaginable at the very beginning of our relationship!
Katie to me is a very special and considering her previous history which we can only assume by her reactions in the early days was one of cruelty and abuse she has never shown any aggression towards me and I would not change her for the world. Dawn Huckle
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From Rags to Riches
ARCHIE
Black Irish Cob Gelding
Date of Birth: June 2004
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DATE OF RESCUE - 7 MARCH 2005
Our Field Officers were having the day from hell – it was Monday lunchtime, and two of us had already been out on three call outs. While we were attending the third, we received an urgent call from our friends at Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk. A lady in Kent had called them, having just witnessed some men drag a mare reluctantly away from her, obviously very sick, foal. It was clear that they were not at all interested in him as he was so poorly. The youngster was running a high fever and scouring (diarrohea) excessively. Given that we were a lot closer, Redwings asked us to step in to investigate the complaint. We rushed back to the Sanctuary and hitched up the trailer ready for the journey into Kent. We arranged to meet one of our vets at the location.
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Archie - clipped out and
doused in louse powder
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Archie - clipped out and
doused in louse powder
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On a huge field that had 60 or so horses grazing, we found a little colt foal standing dejectedly under a tree. His suffering was evident; he looked lost, alone and very, very frightened. If the little one was to stand any chance of survival at all, we needed to get him back to the Sanctuary and have some treatment administered straight away. The attending vet, took blood and faeces samples – vital, as we needed to discover exactly what bacteria/virus were we attacking. We decided to name him Archie – in honour of John Archibold, the then Chief Executive at Redwings – who has been a wonderful friend to us all here at EHPPS. Archie’s coat was heaving with a lice infestation, so he was completely clipped out and doused in lice powder. A worming course was also commenced. Archie was so dehydrated from his scouring and very depressed, so our vet put him on a drip overnight. Our Stable Manager, Sam Edwards, wouldn’t leave his side all night and sat up, changing the drip when necessary, and reading Frankie Detorri’s Autobiography to him. She is convinced that Frankie’s story gave Archie the will to live (although we don’t think he’ll ever make it as a racehorse in Newmarket!!!) He seemed to be slowly improving, but suddenly, the following morning, he collapsed and another emergency vet visit was necessary. The vet eventually managed to stabilise Archie’s condition and Sam had another night of sitting up keeping a close eye on him (while working all day too!) A few days after arrival, Archie started making good progress, although he was on anti-biotic injections for some time to clear the gut infection he had.
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THE TOTAL COST OF ARCHIE’S REHABILITATION – WHICH TOOK AROUND FOUR MONTHS – WAS IN THE REGION OF £2,300.
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ARCHIE WENT ON FOSTER TO KAREN MILES ON 21 DECEMBER 2006
Why we chose Archie – or did Archie choose us!!! After going to a number of local sanctuaries looking for a suitable companion for our 6 month old section D filly foal with no success, someone gave us the phone number of EHPPS. We rang Sue Allery and told her our requirements and she invited us down to ‘have a look’. That was back in October 2006. We came down to Pitsea for our appointment with Sue and she showed us all the ponies, goats, cats, dogs, chickens and little Rory, who had just arrived so it was action stations all round. We had our interview with Sue and Stable Manager, Sam Edwards, and looked at the ponies available but another problem we had was too much grass at home, so that struck off most of the smaller ponies straight away. Then after a while Sue looked at Sam and said ‘what about Archie’ after a short silence. Sue then told us about this little pony called Archie who had the most horrendous start in life before being rescued by EHPPS. Sam had spent days and nights caring for him, we gathered straight away he was quite ‘special’ to the sanctuary and indeed to Sam, so off we went to the far field to see this little chap, or not so little, he was a big, hairy, muddy dark bay cob and my daughter and I both loved him there and then. He just wanted cuddles—lots of them. Archie was about two and a half then and unbroken, but what a sweet pony and so gentle. He is still Flick’s companion, passing on his lovely nature, keeping her calm and safe, he is her best friend along with Foxy. Archie is a valued member of our family, loved by everyone that sees him with his huge adorable eyes and his big hairy head he just plonks on your shoulder, we cant ever imagine being without him. My daughter has now broken him in to ride and doing well, coming 3rd twice in walk and trot dressage - bless! Last year we took him to local shows in-hand and he was placed in every class entered. The judges always make such nice comments about him, which is nice as they don’t know the dreadful start in life he had. This year Chloe aims to do ridden and in-hand showing with him, he is a quick and very willing learner and she hopes he will do well. We always drop EHPPS an email of Archie and his achievements and we look forward to showing him off to our home check ladies who visit us, Archies next new venture is his first pair of shoes, I think they may be the size of man hole covers!!! Fostering Archie has been a most worthwhile and rewarding experience for us and Archie, we just love him. Karen and Chloe Miles
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| ARCHIE with Chloe Miles |
ARCHIE (centre) with his companions,
Flicka and Foxy Lady |
What a difference! |
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