STABLE MANNERS

by Nicola Markwell

Redwings is the largest horse sanctuary in the UK. We have more than 1000 horses and ponies in our care, but in any single year we have very few foals born as much of our work sees us dealing with more elderly horses and ponies. However, after carrying out several large rescues in the last six months where the groups included more than a few pregnant mares, it seems we suddenly have lots of foals here at the Sanctuary – what a hardship!

One such new arrival is Austin, a very cute little chap who was born at the end of May. His mother had been rescued as part of a large round up from London last October, after more than 70 horses and ponies were left to fend for themselves. Redwings rounded a large group of them up and brought them back to Norfolk, Foals are of course very sweet but they can turn out to be very naughty if they don't receive the correct handling from an early age only to discover that there were a few more babies on the way to swell the numbers even further.

However,Austin’s story is a bittersweet one as after some complications with his birth, his mother then lost all interest in him. Cue the Redwings veterinary team, who stepped in to save the day, feeding Austin every two hours by hand and helping him come to terms with not having a mum. He is now up on his feet and full of beans, but the Redwings staff are having to be very careful with him, as hand-reared foals can become very difficult if they are not trained properly.

They tend to become over friendly with a lack of respect for us humans, treating us as they would a fellow horse, which means play involves kicking, chasing and biting. What might appear quite funny when a foal is just a metre tall can be incredibly dangerous when they are fully grown! To prevent this, Austin has been spending time with a ‘surrogate’ dad called Chocolate, a very sensible pony who is teaching him the ways of the world and reminding him about the difference between humans and horses.

It is early days for Austin but we are very hopeful that he will have a positive future in our care, and hopefully one day will be able to find a new home via the Redwings Guardianship Scheme. Until then,we will be making the most of having this delightful little chap around!