Devon’s Mare And Foal Sanctuary is sadly plenty busy on Welsh soil, intervening whenever horses and ponies are in danger. This was the case when a Welsh mare and her foal were rescued from moorland in South Wales last autumn. What they weren’t expecting, as the Sanctuary’s campaigns manager Pippa Quelch details to Buzz, was a surprise addition to the family…
Moorland, hill and mountain ponies are a familiar sight on open land in Wales, where local people have rights to graze livestock. Herds play an important role in maintaining a variety of habitats, supporting wildlife and attracting visitors. But sometimes intervention is needed when scant resources, fighting and unmonitored breeding put the ponies’ lives at risk.
Nia and her filly foal Netty were part of a herd of 69 semi-feral Welsh moorland ponies taken from Merthyr Common, in a joint operation involving several animal welfare organisations. The bay mare and her chestnut filly foal were taken to the Mare And Foal Sanctuary in Devon for the extra care and attention they needed to recover.
When they arrived at the Sanctuary, they had to be kept isolated in a separate field from other equines until they could be assessed for any infections that could spread through the herd. Particularly concerning is a condition called strangles, which affects the upper respiratory tract – though extremely dangerous, it’s the most common equine disease worldwide.
The mare and her young foal had very little experience of human handling, so Sanctuary staff spent weeks gradually building their confidence and training them to the stage of being able to wear a headcollar and receive veterinary field checks. Meanwhile, the charity invited supporters to choose names for the new arrivals, with Nia and Netty selected from hundreds of entries.
The name Netty – ‘favoured one’ – was perfect for the beautiful filly foal, while Nia was chosen for her dam (mother) as the Welsh form of Naimh, meaning ‘resolve’ and ‘brilliance’. At the time, the Sanctuary team didn’t know Nia was in the early stages of pregnancy – but tests confirmed she’s expecting a foal in late summer or early autumn.
Despite its name, births at the Mare And Foal Sanctuary don’t happen frequently. Head of Sanctuary Care Sally Burton explains: “We have a strict non-breeding policy to reduce the number of unwanted horses, so all colts are castrated. Only if a mare is in foal before being brought here will births happen at the Sanctuary, and that’s what’s happened in this case. Nia ran unrestricted on the Welsh commons, gave birth to Netty, and we think she became pregnant again shortly after.”
Horse Care team member Kayleigh Bull has handler responsibility for Nia and says the whole Sanctuary team is “buzzing” with news of the new foal. “Nia is an absolute dream to work with. She’s calm and confident, has lots of character, responds well to affection and is a great mother. She’s been so caring but will also firmly tell Netty when she’s doing something wrong. It’s lovely for us to watch.
“Chandrani and Chandler, a Dartmoor mare and foal, came to the Sanctuary around the same time, and we gradually introduced them. They share a field now and seem to enjoy the companionship. Chandler and Netty have been playing, growing and learning together and Nia and Chandrani both seem very settled and calm watching over them.
“We’re making sure Nia is getting all the care, nutrients and vitamins she needs for a healthy pregnancy. When she’s ready to give birth, we’ll monitor her round the clock and have staff watching our field webcams for any birthing signs. We hope to catch it all on camera and give our supporters the chance to see the event as it happens.”
Info: mareandfoal.org
words PIPPA QUELCH
