Ebony & Ruby are once again in need of a great home after their previous guardian has left the country.
November 2008
There were some very sad cases at this years St Yrieix Horse Fair in the Dordogne this April and many of the equines were clearly not fit enough to be in this sort of environment, including a little chestnut mare, who looked aged but was in fact approximately 6 or so.
She was in a pen with her dark bay yearling filly, who was already taller than her but still suckling. Her belly was swollen, but it is hard to say whether or not she was in foal or just wormy at this stage. She was extremely thin under her woolly coat, as was her filly who also had a lot of mucus around her nose.
These are the two we managed to buy after much haggling. The deaer wanted to sell the mare only but the distress to both her and the foal would be unthinkable. The filly would have commanded a higher price for meat because she was young and a lighter type of horse that the meat market wants.
The filly was unhandled and the dealer was rough at getting her into the lorry, using a big rope around her head and neck. Several times she tried to climb out of the pen, but we had to just let him get on with it as by this stage both ponies were very stressed and the gentle approach would not have worked.
They were extremely thirsty and hungry when we got them back as they had had no access to water or food all day at the sale.
So here they are, our unnamed pair rescued in the nick of time.
They spent the next week inside whilst they were wormed and treated for lice. Despite both still being very nervous of humans they began to show a bit of interest in their surroundings by poking their noses through Jenny’s kitchen window which adjoins their paddock!
Newly named Ruby (right) and Ebony (left) recuperating in the Dordogne countryside…
When the time came for Ruby and Ebony to find new homes, it was with trepidation that we loaded them onto the lorry because the last experience they had of that was the dealers from the market, but such was their new found trust in humans they marched straight on. What a far cry from the wee scared and wild souls that arrived here in April!
Ebony was very excited in her new environment and had to run round inspecting everything, whereas Ruby was far more impressed with the grass and would barely lift her head up!
Ebony did settle down finally, and joined her mum to graze. A multitude of carrots ensured an instant rapport with the new family, and a cursory inspection of their new field shelter seemed to meet with approval – although eating more grass took precedence once they’d established it didn’t contain food!
We are going to miss their cheeky personalities, however they’re safe for the future in a lovely home with a great family who understand what they have been through.
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