Naughty Rescue Pony ~ Eggsy the fence wrecking escape artist!

What's all this then Eggsy?

What this?

Yes Eggsy you know what we're talking about here!

Don't worry I'll help fix it

Now you've got the new post in you just need to put the rope on

A little tighter I think 

That didn't take long with my supervisory skills did it?

Not really Eggsy but we wouldn't have had to replace the post if you hadn't broken it!

About Eggsy:

Eggsy is a rescue pony he was abandoned and left to starve by his owners as a foal. His care is funded by donations.

Would you like to help Eggsy? 

Eggsy has a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his care, we'd be really grateful if you'd go take a look, share it far and wide via your social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate it x

Fireworks and Horses

Animals are terrified of fireworks, they don't know that humans are celebrating, bangs, whooshs and the night sky lighting up can send them into sheer panic so extra care needs to be taken when there is a likelihood of fireworks near your horses.

Forewarned is forearmed so keep an eye out for firework displays in your area being advertised in the local press, on social media etc. Ask your neighbours if they are planning on having fireworks for GuyFawkes, New Year, July 4th etc. If you know in advance that there is going to be a firework display near your horses you can arrange to stay with them. It's always worth talking to the organisers of firework displays to make them aware that there are horses in the area and to ask them to make sure that the fireworks are set off in the opposite direction to the horses.

Generally it's best not to change your horse's routine as this can add to their stress. If your horse is stabled an extra thick bed banked around the edges can help to prevent injury and casting. Check carefully to make sure there is nothing they can injure themselves on. 

If your horse is out at grass make sure that the fences and gates are in good repair, again check there is nothing in the field they could injure themselves on.

Plan a fire procedure. Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged and in case of emergency your vet's telephone number.

If you know that your horse is very frightened of fireworks speak to your vet, they may advise sedation.

Also remember that at least third party insurance is advisable because if your horse does escape and cause damage the law states that you are accountable.

About Eggsy:

Eggsy is a rescue pony he was abandoned and left to starve by his owners as a foal. His care is funded by donations.

Would you like to help Eggsy? 

Eggsy has a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his care, we'd be really grateful if you'd go take a look, share it far and wide via your social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate it x

Rescue pony Halloween

Happy Halloween from Eggsy Pony

Trick or Treat

Penny or Sweet

Enjoy your Halloween

If any of you would like to give Eggsy a Halloween treat he has a GoFundMe to raise money towards his everyday care, we'd be grateful if you'd take a look, share it far and wide via your own social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Please click here to visit Eggsy's GoFundMe page

Thank you, Eggsy & I really appreciate your help x

Keeping a pony in a garden ~ Eggsy's previous home

Here's something that I don't think I've mentioned on this blog previously:

Eggsy once lived in a garden!

The people who abandoned Eggsy didn't actually have anywhere suitable to keep their ponies, they kept one Shetland in the front garden in a space approximately 8ft x 8ft, another Shetland pony in the small back garden complete with greenhouse, pond, bonfire site, washing line and chicken coop. Here's a photograph of the Shetland in a corner of the back garden which was surrounded by a deep dyke on two sides, the photograph doesn't really give an idea of exactly how small a space it was. 

Even though the Shetlands had very little space in their individual sections of the garden they were luckier than Eggsy. Eggsy was kept in the passage way between the front garden and the back garden with barely room to turn around. It wasn't to be for long though as they only had him a month before they abandoned him.

If you're wondering why this wasn't stopped the RSPCA did visit over welfare concerns but did not take any action.

The point of this post really is to show the potential dangers of keeping an equine in the garden, danger lurks all around.

I've already mentioned the deep dyke on two sides of the property, without fencing a pony could easily have gone in and drowned. Not that most people have a dyke for a garden boundary but many do have hedges and many common hedges are poisonous to equines. This particular garden had a laurel hedge, poison, other common hedging shrubs eg. privet and yew are also deadly poison to horses.

Garden fencing is probably not going to be suitable for equines, a horse or pony could easily break out injuring itself in the process and if it got onto the road it might be involved in a road traffic accident. The front garden to this house was walled, but the wall was broken down in places and it is a wonder that the pony in the front garden did not escape.

Garden plants: The list of ordinary garden plants and shrubs that are poisonous to horses is huge. Did you know that irises are poisonous to horses? What about magnolia or clematis? These are just examples of  common garden plants that are poisonous to horses.

I've mentioned a pond in this back garden, it was a fish pond which probably contained various chemicals to make it a good environment for the fish but that water could be potentially lethal to a pony drinking it.

And then there are garden ornaments, the home owners had a number of those concrete animals in their garden all of which presented a hazard to the ponies who could easily have injured themselves on them.

Finally we have the problem of the garden lawn, obviously Eggsy's former owners weren't mowing their grass, the ponies were eating it or what was left of it, but if you are grazing your horse or pony on the lawn un-horsey neighbours might throw their grass clippings over the fence thinking they are providing a tasty meal for your pony. 

Grass clippings should never be fed to a horse or pony because the process of mowing causes them to begin fermentation. Fermenting grass clippings give off gases that can build up inside the horse and cause colic or other gastrointestinal disorders. Horses cannot vomit or burp and the gases can build up to such a point that they cause a rupture resulting in death of the horse.

Gardens really aren't a safe place to keep an equine.

Of course Eggsy is no longer kept in a garden, he has a nice paddock with safe electric fencing, a plentiful supply of food, thanks to your kind donations, fresh water and an equine companion to keep him company.

Donations are helping to cover the cost of raising Eggsy
Would you like to help Eggsy? 

Eggsy has a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his care, we'd be really grateful if you'd go take a look, share it far and wide via your social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate it x

Tapeworms in horses - Autumn time to treat against tapeworm

Autumn and it's time to treat against tapeworm - Anopocephala perfoliata, Anoplocephala magna and Anoplocephaloides mamillana.

Horses become infected with tapeworms when grazing, or eating hay or bedding, that is infected with the orbatid mite (forage mite) which is the intermediate host of the tapeworm. Eggs develop in the orbatid mite into immature tapeworms (cysticercoids) which will develop into an adult tapeworm in the horses intestine, eggs are spread via the tapeworm segments in dung.

Tapeworm infestation is a major cause of spasmodic colic, research estimating that over 20% of cases of spasmodic colic are related to tapeworm burden, they can also be responsible for ileal impaction.

Traditionally horses would be treated for tapeworm in the autumn, then again 6 months later, as their exposure to tapeworm was greater during the longer periods of grazing during summer turnout. Egg counts had proved unreliable in detecting tapeworm with the ELISA blood test being more reliable but recently a saliva test has been developed.

Tapeworm dewormers include Equitape which treats tapeworm only and is used in addition to a normal wormer or a combination wormer such as Equest Pramox which costs in the region of £20.

If any of you could see your way to sponsoring Eggsy's de-wormer, or any other aspect of Eggsy's care he does have a GoFundMe campaign where donations can be made : 
Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Of course sharing Eggsy's GoFundMe via your own social media helps enormously too!

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate your help x

Wednesday Wisdom

"Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness"
                                                         ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Would you like to help Eggsy? 

Eggsy has a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his care, we'd be really grateful if you'd go take a look, share it far and wide via your social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate it x

Eggsy, the abandoned colt's summer

The last weekend of August, the last British Bank Holiday until Christmas and the last days of summer, meteorological Autumn starts September 1st, so time for a long overdue Eggsy catch up here on the blog. 

June saw the first  anniversary of Eggsy's rescue from abandonment and starvation, as you can see he's certainly come a long way from the poor starved, lice and worm infested foal who was deliberately abandoned by the people who had purchased him only a few weeks previously.

We also had cause to celebrate in June, when on the 17th a donation from one of  Eggsy's long term supporter's Norfolk Bea took us over Eggsy's first year GoFundMe target. As you can imagine we were  thrilled to bits! 

Simply put we would not be able to finance all of Eggsy's "keep", a £100 a month on food alone, without the kindness and generosity of those who have donated to Eggsy's GoFundMe

Thanks are due not only to Norfolk Bea but also to 

Silvia Russo of ChiTemple Natural Therapies  all the way from Australia, Eggsy is truly supported internationally!

Philomena Moreland

Gemma Fox

Leighton Salex

Diane Salek

Karen Silbley

Christine King

Amina Mirza

Smiffy Smith

to those who wish to remain anonymous and to Bronwyn who sponsors Eggsy's farrier work.

Our farrier is invaluable not only for his patience and understanding when trimming our young colt's hooves but also for his knowledge and advice in regard to Eggsy's locking stifles.

Eggsy's stifles have improved enormously since we first found him but he does still occasionally lock up. Our farrier is hopeful that the off side has fully resolved itself but sadly he still feels resistance in the near side hind.

July saw another reason to celebrate, Eggsy's Twitter @eggsypony  reached 2,500 followers

It was during July, having gone over our original GoFundMe target for Eggsy's care during his first year, that we made the necessary decision to raise the GoFundMe target to help cover the cost of his keep for another year. 

We're so very grateful to you for understanding that it doesn't stop at rescuing a pony but that they also have to be given the very best possible start in life education wise as well. And that's what we've been doing this summer, the improved weather conditions have meant that we've been able to take Eggsy for short walks teaching him how to behave on the lead rope and how to behave when tied. He can still be a bit naughty but then he is still just a baby pony!

A baby pony whose hand-me-down head collar is still too big!  

Would you like to help Eggsy? 

Eggsy has a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for his care, we'd be really grateful if you'd go take a look, share it far and wide via your social media and of course if you can spare some money please donate.

Help Raise Abandoned Foal Eggsy ~ GoFundMe

Thank you, Eggsy and I really appreciate it x