THE HORSE LISTENER

A little life is worth a lot

A horse is a horse, of course, of course, writes CANDIDA BAKER, even when it’s only a few hands high.

It struck me the other day that for some curious reason, the rescues I’ve been involved with over the past year or so, have all been little folk.

A few months ago, as President of Equus Alliance, a new and small charity dedicated to rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming, with an emphasis on education and advocacy, our very first rescue was a Shetland pony from the Casino sale-yards, who had sadly found himself in the dogger pens.

At the sales for research on a story about the broader issues of horse welfare in Australia, I was struck by how this little chap approached the bars of his yard the minute there was a child in view, but cowered back when adults reached out to him. He was grossly overweight, but he had something – that indefinable air of a pony that wants to love, and be loved. I decided to wait and see whether someone private would buy him, he seemed so sweet I was sure they would, but when the little chap went for only $150 to a dogger, it was time to act, and with a few swift phone calls to the Committee, and a small amount of extra money - $200 – to the dogger, Murray (as he was christened) became the charity’s first official rescue, going to a foster carer who already owned a Shetland, and was home to another mini-pony.

At first things were a little complicated with Murray. Covered in mangy itch, with flaking skin and his tail rubbed raw, he was also extremely reluctant to be caught, although once he was, he became, his foster carer said, very sweet and cuddly – as long as you didn’t approach his head too fast.

Over the next few months Murray settled into the groove, but we were all curious as to why such an essentially quiet pony was so scared around the head and so overweight.

One day, his foster carer decided it was time to test out Murray’s skills as a therapy pony, and it was there that she deduced something of what may have been his past. When he arrived at the session, there was someone there with a bay thoroughbred mare, and as soon as he saw her Murray started calling out, trying his very best to get close to her.

It suddenly all fell into place. He’d most likely been used as a companion pony for a racehorse. It would explain his weight – he’d simply been fed whatever they were eating, and it would explain why he was head-shy, because he’d been pushed around as required, so to speak.

A

A: Sugar after her first equine lice wash. B: Sugar has taken to her foster carer, Elisha.

A

B

My heart lurched when his foster carer told me what she’d thought, because in the dogger pen next to him at the saleyards, there had been a bay thoroughbred mare, and the pair had been standing, touching noses through the bars. I hadn’t taken on board that they were bonded, I thought they were just keeping each other company in these strange, sad, new surroundings, and so it has somewhat haunted me ever since.

But Murray has turned out to be so quiet, and so lovely to handle, that I do believe he must have had another life before the racehorse companion career. At some point I think he must have been a much-loved children’s pony. Murray’s future as a therapy pony is assured now, he loves being a ‘helper’ and he is safe forever. With the help of all our wonderful supporters, and the care he’s received, it’s been a successful rescue with a great outcome.

One thing I’ve got used to in my life as a ‘horse listener/rescuer’ is that horses find me somehow, and I never have long to wait before the next one, but little did I know that the next Equus rescue would be even smaller, much smaller, in fact, than Murray!

In early September, I got a call from a friend, Elisha Cantwell, who runs a lovely pony-based business, Little Pony Tales, based in Murwillumbah in northern New South Wales. She told me that a couple had contacted her to tell her that they had rescued a very small pony that had been tied up to a tree for a considerable period of time, with limited access to grazing and water, and they were very worried for her.

Her owner had fallen on hard times, and the young couple persuaded him to surrender her to them, but once they’d got the tiny, pint-size little Sugar home to their place, their troubles truly began. Although they didn’t want to tie her up, if they let her go, she simply ran away and was almost impossible to catch.

C D

‘ ‘ Mini-ponies may be small but they still have the same needs as a horse.

A: Candy doing mini-natural horsemanship. B: Offering Sugar marjoram essential oil for trauma.

C: Murray helping in an Equine Assisted Learning session. D: Today Murray is a happy, contented pony with a purpose.

The couple quickly realised that small as she was, they’d bitten off more than they could chew, and they asked Elisha if she would be interested in taking Sugar on.

Elisha went to visit her, and was worried that Sugar had some fairly severe health problems going on – her skin was covered with lumps and bumps, she was extremely nervous of anyone going near her, she seemed to have the beginning of Big Head, and she was very mangy, suggested she might not have been wormed for a long time.

So Elisha rang me to say she didn’t feel confident to take her on herself financially, but if the couple surrendered Sugar to Equus, would we take her on and Elisha would foster care for her.

We all agreed it could be a great outcome for Sugar, and within a few days we were there with a float - which looked like a horse-truck with little Sugar standing near it - and a small band of helpers.

The helpers turned out to be a good thing because Sugar took one look at the float and turned into a tiny 7hh rearing dragon, who absolutely refused to countenance the idea of getting in this strange box. But with the dint of marjoram oil, ground-work, a little bit of bribery, and time, we gradually persuaded her to make her own decision that getting on was a good idea.

Once we got her back to Elisha’s place, she already seemed less nervous, and was very interested in Elisha’s other ponies. Looking at the set-up – ideal for tiny ponies – it occurred to me that Sugar had managed to manifest the perfect home for herself.

Over the next week or so Elisha discovered that Sugar’s health issues included a really horrible parasite, equine lice, that had invaded her skin. The lice are very contagious and the vet

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Murray in the dogger pen at Casino Saleyard, his number visible on his rump.

advised her to gown-up while she was treating her. Sugar had a complete vetcheck and her bloods done, the farrier came, she was wormed, and put on supplements to counteract the Big Head. She has begun to settle in very nicely, with only the occasional nervous moment when she’s worried about something, which Elisha is sure will disappear with time, but it made me very aware of a major issue around miniponies and miniature horses – namely that people so often think of them as a pet rather than a horse. But the fact remains that although they may be small, they still have the same needs as a horse - sometimes, in fact more specialist needs since their diets must be carefully managed so they don’t end up overweight and laminitic. Then there’s training the tiny pony – it’s just as important to establish boundaries with a 7hh horse as with a 17hh horse. It’s in a horse’s nature, that if a leader doesn’t present his or herself, the horse believes it must be the leader, and that’s when the pushing and shoving around, or evading their human starts. Lack of leadership (mirroring the need for the matriarchal mares and the stallions in the wild) creates nervous, worried horses.

The other thing is that oils ain’t oils. Although it’s true that Shetland ponies, mini-ponies and miniature horses tend to have calm temperaments, some of them – which probably also depends on the training they’ve received – are not always suitable for small kids to be around. A small pony can have as feisty a temperament as a hot-blooded thoroughbred given the wrong circumstances.

Last but by no means least, a lot of people buy small ponies as lawnmowers or companion horses without taking on board the costs. Vet bills are no less for a small pony, farrier and dentals and vaccinations the same. Feed costs are less for sure, but no matter what their size ponies still need supplements.

So before you think of taking on a small one, be aware that your little package is still a horse, with all the negatives, as well as the positives that will mean for your wallet and your life.

Candida Baker runs a Facebook page, The Horse Listener. She is also the President of Equus Alliance.