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Beili Bedw Farm, Llanddeusant, Llangadog, Carms
SA19 9TG
Tel 01550 740661 Email: lluestmanager@tiscali.co.uk
LLUEST HORSE & PONY TRUST Registered Charity 516674
Trust Manager: Adrian Cawdery
Trustees Barbara Metcalfe, Alun Jones MRCVS,
Justine Jenkins, Carole Lane, Kathryn Hawkins, Pam Holden.
Tel 01453
844380 email: barbara.metcalfe@virgin.net
Founder – the late Ginny Hajdukiewicz
NEWSLETTER
49 SPRING 2008
www.lluesthorseandponytrust.org.uk
Dates for your diary: Open Day 17TH Aug 11-4pm AGM 18th May
2pm
Weekend opening Sats & Suns
May 17th – Sept 21st 2-4pm
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From
Adrian - Hello
again from a very busy time at Lluest. We are hoping that spring is close as the fields are
suffering
from the rain and at times we have had all the stables full due to the
inclement weather! Whilst we
have
been very successful in finding several new loan homes, there are always other
poor unfortunate
animals
to fill the vacated place, so life sends us daily challenges. As far as possible we make sure new arrivals
settle
in and live life as part of a herd before we start assessing them. A big part of this assessment takes part in
our
wonderful new school and round pen, making life safer for both the animals and
us. With great pleasure I can
tell
you that Pryderi is nearly ready to go to his new loan home as a full
riding horse. He is very good riding out
both
in company and alone, can now be trimmed without restraint, and will also go
into the lorry without a lead
rein,
and once in, will allow the door to be closed and the engine to run. A
completely different horse to the one I
first
met 16 months ago!
Many
of you will have heard the dreadful news in January of the 30 horses at
Amersham (Bucks) some found
too
advanced in the state of neglect that euthanasia was the only humane
alternative. Lluest as a member of the
National
Equine Welfare Council offered to take two of the horses once court proceedings
are completed,
although
it is doubtful because of the distance involved that our offer will be
accepted. It is desperately sad to
consider
that horses and ponies such as these would have left the UK shores for
abattoirs overseas, and to
consider
the long journeys they would have endured; and the trade goes on. We fully support the petition on the
Voices
for Horses web-site and ask that you either put your name to that petition or
write to Lord Rooker - Minister
of State for Animal Welfare, Nobel House, 17 Smith Sq., London
SW1P 3JR demanding the implementation of
the following: Traders and Dealers of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Mules be
regulated and required by law
to be
licensed in the UK because it is proven that current legislation for the
protection of equines is
inadequate.
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It was through our links
with Emma that we came to hear about little Berry whose young family
had lost interest in her. She was living alone in a 10ft square
shed with little grazing, severe rain scald and her feet in need of
attention. We collected Berry in
December and she spent 3 months with us before leaving for a loan home
where she is now receiving the care she deserves. Berry is featured on a video prepared by
Emma and can be seen on the website voicesforhorses.co.uk |
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A similar case is Maggie whose previous owner was a local
gentleman who purchased her at the age of 4 months with good intentions, but
limited knowledge. On the 16th October she was signed over to Lluest, having grown into a big animal – her
feet in need of attention, and needing company of her own kind. Getting Maggie into the lorry, and the
way home, was relatively calm considering her lack of experience outside
the field she had grown up in. After
6 months at the Trust and now approaching 5 years she is still a handful,
but as she has not had any bad experiences during her time with her previous
owner she has the potential to become a lovely working horse.
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In the late summer we took in 3 ponies who
needed homes as the land at their livery yard
was sold to developers. Shortly after their arrival
at the Trust
the decision was made to put
Chrissie and Dinky to
sleep. Arguably this
decision should
have been taken earlier but as
so often happens owners find it too
painful. We
have now decided to
offer help for owners in this
situation – one that we face all too often.
Confirmation from the owners Veterinary Surgeon
will be required and once
obtained Adrian is
willing to stand by and offer support. However all
Lluest ponies are put to
sleep by injection and
we would expect this same treatment for any
horse or
pony we tended. Happily one of the
ponies – a dear gelding Barney is still with us –
stealing hearts
with his lovely kind eyes. He
does
suffer from arthritis but is kept comfortable
at present and we will
monitor his condition
carefully. |
 Barney
 Willow
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 Fred
When Sammy 2 returned from his loan
home owing to circumstances beyond the control of his foster Mum, we were
asked to take his little companion Fred. Fred has become good friends with Patch.
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Willow came to Lluest in January 2008. At 1 yr old she had been taken to
Llanybydder sale but did not sell. She was ‘dumped’ in a driveway and eventually found a home with a
kind lady willing to take her in. She was well looked after, but with only calves for company and very
little handling she had almost forgotten what being a young pony is all
about. We were asked to help when a
little human life came into the family and time for Willow became even
scarcer. Now approx 31/2 yrs old,
she is still a little shy about lead reins, but we can pick up all 4 feet
and groom her. Willow’s training
will continue until she is eventually ready to go on to a loan home, where
she can give pleasure to children perhaps through pony club, but most importantly
become a happy, loved and fulfilled little pony.
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 Patch |
Patch came to us in Nov from a couple that were moving into sheltered accommodation. His feet, teeth and coat needed attention. Owing to the condition of his hooves after his last bout of laminitis, we have decided that he will remain at the Trust in order that his problems can be sorted with the minimum of discomfort for him. He can stay with his newfound friends – both human and equine, and continue greeting us all with his welcome whinny. He is a lovely friendly animal who always has a hello whinny for you. |
We were sad to lose Joy on February 25th at the age of
39. Joy had been at the Trust for 15 years. The vet was
called as she became very stiff, and she rallied round for a couple of
weeks. When she had what can only be
described a fit, we decided it was time to put her to sleep, so no more
pain or suffering. Then on March 12th it was
time to say goodbye to little Matilda (aged over 30 years), who had been at the Trust just 1 year, but in that year
managed to win hearts with her welcoming whinny and came to love her little friend Humphrey who like us will
miss
her sadly. Making ‘that’ decision is not easy and is
never done without soul searching and often tears.
Not least
with Mist an ex trotter
(whose arrival at the Trust was reported in our previous newsletter) who
suffered
problems in
her back end, and although
tests were carried out to source the problem, these were inconclusive.
We could only
assume the uneven gait,
sometimes caused pain leading to aggression, both towards other ponies
and
staff,
therefore the decision was made
to put Mist to sleep.
 Sam
Champ, Taz, Storm and as mentioned Berry have found loan homes. Darius,
Griff, Cinders were returned but have since been re-homed. Winnie, Llwyd, Matilda 1, and Arthur have also been
returned and are at the farm. We always hope that the ponies once
loaned have a home for life, but this doesn’t always work. We have
decided that Brandy having had several loan homes will stay at the farm, and is included on our
‘adoption’ list.** She has been in the care of Lluest since her previous
owner, who was terminally ill signed her to us in 1986. She is 15hh, 29 years old and enjoyed
giving rides at the Easter Open Day. |
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LOAN PONY SHOWCASE SAMMY 1 by Kath Hawkins
I first met Sam, a lovely skewbald pony
when I was 10 and going to Lluest getting to know our future loan pony,
Ben. My brother and I were having lessons with Ginny to improve our riding
in preparation. Sam was strong but
reliable and I learnt a lot from him and enjoyed some amazing rides on the
mountain. He loved to be in front on the gallops. He gave me confidence and
was very cheeky; often lifting me off my feet with his trademark head rubs.
When Ginny died Sam, like her other trekking
ponies were signed over to the charity. Until recently I had not seem him
since but always remembered him as a pony I had had a special bond with. I
was excited when I was asked to check Sam in his loan home with the Heggarty
family. Driving to see him with my mum I had to remind myself that he was
now 35 and wouldn’t look the same. I needn’t have worried though. The pony
grazing with his companion was unmistakably Sam a bit greyer but looking
wonderful. Having suffered with Laminitis and Cushings in the past it is a
credit to his loan home that he looks so well. He is still ridden very
lightly and is still very strong! He rubbed his head on me just as he
always had. He is much loved and
doing so well, it was lovely to see. I know Ginny would be delighted that he has such a loving and
knowledgeable home
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| ** Our adoption certificates will no
longer be laminated as we respect
the worldwide concern regarding the
un-necessary and over-use of plastic. |
 Brandy |
MORE
SOUL SEARCHING Taking telephone calls from owners such as a lady who rang recently is not
easy. The
conversation
went similarly:- Hello – I bought a
horse only a year ago and he’s developed laminitis, I cant ride him any
more
and I cant afford to keep him – if I cannot find a home for him he will have to
be put down.’ In other words – he
is no
longer any use, so like an old car or an old sofa he’s on the scrapheap –
unless we or another similar charity
takes
him. Much as we would love to, charities
cannot possibly take every case such as this, so maybe owners
should,
when purchasing a horse consider how they will cope if such a situation
arises. Maybe the phrase ‘’a dog is
for
life not just for Christmas’’ should be adopted by horse owners. Obviously the kindest thing is to personally
provide
for
the horse until the end of its comfortable days, if that is not possible then
the option should certainly not be, to take
him to
a market or to an unscrupulous dealer, but to have him put to sleep at home.
LLUEST
IN CRISIS APPEAL – UPDATE Thank you so much to everyone who responded to our
autumn newsletter
(which highlighted
the worrying financial situation we find ourselves in) with generous donations
both by cheque and
through the
Charity Choice web-site for on line donations. At the time of writing we have just seven months running
costs, with our
monthly income still not matching that figure. We are still therefore appealing
for even more of our
supporters to help
us with standing order donations – even 50p per week (£6.50 a quarter) from all
of you would be
a tremendous
help. Winter 2008/09 seems a long way
off, but of course we must plan for that most expensive
time. To help with Veterinary care for 2008 we are running
a raffle and tickets are enclosed with more being
available from the
farm to anyone wishing to help in that way. The prize money has been donated.
OTHER WAYS TO
HELP For those of
you who shop on line – some retailers donate a percentage of the amount you
spend to a charity of your choice. Go to
easyfundraising.org.uk to find out more. If you use the search engine
everyclick.com – each time you click – 1p is donated to Lluest. Every Penny Counts!! Small forgotten amounts of
SHARES can be donated to
Sharegift (reg charity 1052686) that pools shares, sells them and donates the
proceeds
to UK registered charities. When people donate their shares they are encouraged to nominate a cause
or charity they
support. More information
at sharegift.org.
Thanks to:-
Thanks to the Pettifor Trust for donations of £2,000, to The L & D
Seccombe Charitable Trust for £500, to Julie
Roberts for a car boot sale £54 and Dot Heckler for a coffee
morning £36, to John and Helen Small for £100 – plants
sales and a sponsored 26
mile marathon, the Amman Valley School of Dance raffle £73, and Pam Holden and
friends (2 and 4 legged
ones) for raising £145 Carol Singing. Val Slingsby from the Gloucs Support Group has retired
and we thank Val for her many years of work for
Lluest. Also a BIG THANK YOU to our staff, and team of
volunteers who work both at
the farm and in the background with administration. During this difficult financial time
our volunteers are not only
giving their time but also donating expenses, such as travelling, postages,
stationery etc.
costs which add up
considerably, ensuring even more, that the money you donate goes directly where
it is intended.
Do you have, or know the
whereabouts of any Lluest collection boxes please. If so
please contact Pam Holden on
01269 826319 as we are
anxious to update our records. We do not
send souvenir leaflets with
our spring newsletters
to save costs. However souvenirs are available and for more
information please contact Carole Lane on 01453 844970
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We end with our very
latest intake who we have named Bobby after one of our most
faithful and long serving volunteers. Our 4 legged Bobby came to us on March 26th from a lady
who rescued him from some young people in Swansea where he was suffering
abuse. This is the 4th colt foal to come from such circumstances within just over 2 years and we
shall be investigating as to how we can help limit this treatment of colt
foals. More in the autumn newsletter
about little Bobby.
With
best wishes and thanks for your support from Adrian, Barbara, Justine,
Alun, Carole, Pam and Kath – and all the Lluest ponies
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