Update from years and years ago

Wally

Wally

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2000
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Any of the old guard may remember a pony we were asked by the SSPCA to get in from the open hill as she was crippled with her feet.

we set out and brought her in after a days searching the hill, She was oaging with lice and the worms that came out of her were like king cobras! She was in foal and in awful fettle, poor, weak and thin.

Anyway her feet and legs were the main cause for concern, not having been trimmed for years she was actually walking on the side walls of her feet with the soles (if she had any) facing inwards. her pastern bones had become deformed with the long time her feet were neglected.

The day after we got her she had a foal. I started to sort her feet out, but the vet was doubtful and thought PTS might be the outcome.

ANYWAY, I went over to the Island where she still lives. Must be pushing 30 now.and joy of joys, her feet are still normal, Her foal is still with her, and her pastern bones are back straight like normal. So, even the most shocking feet can be brought back.
 
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That's so nice that you are still able to check in on her and that she's recovered so well from a dire situation :)
 
Do Shetland ponies just live out on the hill? Or hills - ownerless that her foal is still with her? Or has anyone looked after her feet since you?
 
And Wally, if you have a moment one evening could you comment some time about my post describing the bag my daughter gave me, and Icelandic horse paces? That is, only if you have something to say, of course.
 
all the ponies in the hill have owners who ought to look to them the same way as you'd look to any pony. Sadly some just leave them out there unhandled until they turn feral and neglected. A friend took her on after clients at the riding school had a whip round to buy her off the abusive owner after the SSPCA inspector told him we had her. He turned up drunk and abusive. I spent many years going back to the Island she lives on trimming her feet up, then the lass who taught me to shoe took over her feet as I did not have the time to go over to do them. She's now moved south. So her owner asked me to take over again as a special favour. I was astounded that her long pastern bones had actualley returned to a normal shape.
 
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Really good that you have these skills Wally and still use them for people and horses who need them.
May be I am slightly disappointed that there arent ferral ponies wandering in herds up where you are. Did you read some report recently that after studying the genome, there are only three kinds of pony or horse which are not descended from the Arabian sires from which people bred in 18th? century. Shetland and Icelandic were two of them. Must look for it another time.
 
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