The Horses Story

Mt George Girls

Koda

Koda was on list for slaughter. We're not really sure why he ended up there. But after watching this boy near the end of his time with no one taking him, we jumped in to ensure he got a chance at a future.

Koda is only a youngster and was completely unhandled when we got him. He has now settled very well with us and is taking to the basics like a fish to water.

He will be gelded and handled more before he is placed for adoption.

We anticipate this stunning boy will have an incredibly grand future as a saddle horse. He is a very big boned boy and as a yearling at 14h + he will also mature into a large lump of a lad.

JD

JD was surrendered to us by his owner of 7yrs. Sadly they had allowed their dog to chase the horses and as a result, JD had reacted, struck, and killed the dog. Neither the dog, nor the horses fault. A very sad situation.

Out of grief the owners decided they would send JD to slaughter. We were horrified, however thankful, that a friend referred them to us.

JD came to live with us. At 14yr old he has pretty much been there and done that. He is an absolute gentleman to handle. Although, he is a very smart horse under saddle so he does need an experienced rider.

We have become very attached to JD and he has fitted well into the family (dogs included!). At this stage it looks like he may also have found his forever home on a farm just up the road.

Welsh Ponies

In March 2011 we were alerted to the plight of 30 welsh ponies culled by their breeders and on their way to slaughter. Fortunately we were able to do a deal with the doggers and purchase the entire truckload.

What a magic feeling it was to see 30 of the most wonderful ponies walking down the loading ramp to safety in our care. The majority of these babies were not even yearlings! Most likely weaned straight to slaughter.

With the use of the internet and social media we spread the word and had hundreds of calls from prospective new owners wishing to help take a pony or two. As they were all unhandled, we were very particular about who they would go to.

It is now September and we have placed all but 4 of the ponies. What a wonderful success it has been.

Chucky (Charlie)

Chucky has been surrendered to us as his owners realised he was too much for them to handle. They had purchased him as young pony and not realised the importance of appropriate training and education. Being small, he had simply been treated as a dog. Cute and fun to play with. As he has grown older and stronger he has become pushy and un-manageable.

He is also incredibly overweight and at risk of foundering.

We will be working on his manners over the next few weeks until we are satisfied that his behaviour has improved.

We would really like to stress the importance of training and education in any horse no matter how small or large. The little ones are incredibly cute and people easily fall into the trap of thinking that they will require less care and maintenance. THe truth is that they are no less of a hassle than a larger horse.

Please think carefully before purchasing a mini horse or pony. They are not toys and should not be treated as such.

Digger

Aptly named in support of Rememberance Day and the day and time we found him at the Saleyards. In the doggers yard and ready to be slaughtered, no one bid on him at all (other than the doggers). When the hammer fell and he looked at us with those sad and frightened eyes we had no choice (and I had an elbow in the ribs from Kel).

A 2yr old paint colt and completely unhandled. When we got in and had a good look at him we realised he had a retained testicle as well. He was obviously destined to be with us.

On return to the yards to collect him, and ready for a "long haul", we were pleasantly surprised to find it took a lot less time than expected. He was caught, led and loaded within 30 minutes and we were off home.

After a couple of weeks of handling, we will pay the "big bucks" and have the extensive gelding surgery done. Next, the teeth and the feet. Then, we will turn him out for a few weeks to gain condition and enjoy being a horse. When we are confident that he is ready we will start him under saddle and look for a suitable home.

Today this little man has a future. Yesterday, he did not.

Charlie

Charlie arrived here just before the Australia Day long weekend in January 2009. A 3yr old Quarter Horse Colt who had barely reached 13h. I was told he had been bitten by a whitetail spider and it may take 12 months before he would be well. The minute he stepped off the truck I could tell he had major issues. Nothing at all to do with a spider! Charlie had abcessed teeth and a severe worm burden. I have no doubt why this little guy failed to thrive and grow. He was sent with the prescribed medication for a misdiagnosed condition which was also inappropriate and completely inadequate. The saddest part about this story is that with just a little TLC and attention this could have been prevented. Charlie had two small holes in either side of his face where the infection had burst out from his teeth. He required puss cleaned from these areas and antibiotics twice daily.

It is now 7 weeks on. He has been wormed twice, had his teeth done twice, been gelded and picked up condition. Charlie will remain on medication for another few weeks to clear the remaining infection in the offside of his face. I had been really happy with his progress, however, his face again blew up on the 25th March. We took him straight to Scone for more Xrays which revealed he will certainly need an operation to remove two teeth.

Read more about Charlie......

Romany

Romany was surrendered to us as a 2yr old Brumby Filly. She was in very poor condition and full of worms. Her initial story saw her travel to Singleton in NSW as a foal at foot with her mum and several others from her herd out of Dorrigo national Park. Sadly after a few months, the rest of her herd included her mother were sent to the Doggers. Although she had been around people, she had very little appropriate handling and did not lead or tie up. This is one smart little girl, she took to her education like a duck to water. Forunately, Romany had no injuries so her recovery was predominantly injection of the old "wonder drug" - FEED. Romany was very quickly placed with Trudi on the Gold Coast.

Trudi has taken up the training and handling practices and is currently starting break Romany ( now called Tina) to saddle. Thanks to Trudi for the updated photo.

A note from Trudi -

Just wanted to let you know that Tina is going really really well.

I took her to a pony club last weekend for a hack day, just to get her used to being floated and going out and about and she just stood at the float and ate her hay, she was great. I have started the breaking process, I have her taking the bridle with no hassles. I am just going to take my time over the next couple of months and get her used to everything slowly. As soon as I get a new camera I will send you some updated photos of her. She looks great now that she is rugged, fed twice a day and washed/groomed all the time.

Fred Brown

Fred was surrendered with Romany. They were the only remaining paddock mates after all others had been sent to the doggers some months before. Fred was not suffering any amount of weight loss!!! In fact, he must have been eating all Romany's tucker. What a cute little guy he is. However, he did surprise us. Having had more handling in his life than Romany, he objected to floating, catching and leading for the first couple of days. But we worked him out. A little bit of small mans syndrome!! Fred has gone to a fantastic home also up North. He now has a little paddock mate his own size. Thanks to Skye for the updated shot of Fred.

Lance

Lance was an aged and very ill pony when we took delivery of him. This pony had been shown all over the countryside very successfully in his day. Without the appropriate nutrition and medical aids he would never have survived. Given his age and requirement for ongoing medical care, we decided he would have to stay. And so, Lance lived on here for several years at optimum health. Often seen cantering about with the babies he was very active for his age. Lance was put to rest peacefully and is buried here on our property.

Heather

Heather came to us at the same time as Lance. You can see the terrible condition she was in when she arrived. What you can’t see is that she had a newborn foal on her as well. I was very concerned about her health and the amount of feed to ration her. It’s a very fine line between feeding to fatten and feeding to founder. Keeping in mind that founder can occur as much from lack of feed as it does from overfeeding. Fortunately Heather is tough old bird, and both her and the foal went from strength to strength very quickly. In fact, Heather is still with us 6 years later at the ripe old age of 27yrs. And, it doesn’t look like she’ll be leaving us anytime soon!!