Leave a horse in a good place, and we will find them in a better place. Leave them in a bad place, and we will find them in a worse place
Carlos Tabernaberri
One of the delights of summer is the arrival of beautiful summer fruits. Two of our favourites are peaches and cherries.
This year we have an added delight……..Peaches and Cherry, together with Peaches’ baby………are starting on a new path in life.
We met Peaches and Cherry back in autumn. We were on a property assisting with another horse when we saw them in a three sided shed and yard. Their carers at the time could not get near them. They were being offered for sale, unhandled and wild. Cherry had just had her colt weaned from her.
We were concerned that, if sold, they could well go from home to home, unhandled and without a safe future. As they are attractive mares they may well have been used as brood mares to produce more ponies into a society with more horses than we can care for already. Once too old or weak to breed they would be sent to the sales or the knackery.
A contact agreed to take them, provide training and rehome them under a contract. An offer was made to do a trade of some much needed hay (as this was a time when fodder was scarce) in exchange for these ponies.
Loading them onto a float was a major event. They made it safely to their new home. Both refused to have any contact with humans and were very frightened. Before training began however it became apparent Peaches was in foal and there was a suspicion that Cherry was also in foal.
So the focus shifted to ensuring they were in a suitable paddock for foaling.
In September Peaches safely gave birth to a lovely little colt.
The carer was wanting to separate the foal at 4 months and sell separately to his Mum. Whilst we appreciate that there are many different ways of managing situations, this was not what we wanted.
Fortunately we were able to come to an arrangement, and Peaches, Cherry and bubs have come fully back into the care of Honey’s Pledge.
Today they made a float trip to a skilled friend who will undertake basic handling for the mares so we are able to place them into permanent homes, and bubs gets to stay with Mum.
We were very pleased at the condition they had gained over winter. They all looked fantastic. Bubs is growing fast and Cherry has gained at least 1 hh.
Better still it is clear that Cherry is not in foal.
Please follow us on Facebook as we enjoy a new start for these three lovelies.
PS early reports tonight are really positive!!!
Honey's Pledge 