Caroline
Grand Prix Poster
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 2,277
|
Post by Caroline on Apr 19, 2012 0:43:35 GMT 1
Some people may remember a previous appeal to save some dartmoor ponies. Well, there are more again this year - very much at risk. I wanted to share the appeal here in case anyone can give one a home or a rescue space. |
The 1st photo is 2 x 2 year old Dartmoor hill pony x fillies both 2 year olds, the darker grey and white is called Evie and the lighter one is called Lillie. They are both doing really well and they both lead very well and Evie is a real sweetheart, Lillie is having some training. They are both standing about 12hh already and have a heavier set. Their future's are safe and in foster care with us until a forever loving home can be found for them. Their foster home is limited and we are getting closer to the date when they have to be moved.
|
Colt (above) Colt (above) Filly (above) Colt (above) Colt (above) Colt (above) | THE NEXT 6 FOALS ARE DARTMOOR HILL PONY FOALS ALSO ABOUT 10 MONTHS OLD THEY ARE IN FOSTER HOMES BUT DESERVE AND DESPERATELY NEED THEIR OWN SPECIAL HOMES WHERE THEY WILL GET ONE ON ONE HANDLING AND TLC THEY HAVE BEEN IN FOSTER ALL WINTER WAITING FOR THEIR NEW FORVER LOVING HOMES. THEIR TIME AT THE FOSTER HOMES ARE NOW RUNNING OUT PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP. PHOTO NO 8 AND 9 ARE TO COLTS PHOTO 10 IS A LITTLE FILLY, THE LAST 3 ARE COLTS. PHOTO 11, 12, AND 13.
|
| Pics nos dsc000022, 24, 29, 32, 35000, 42000 (Photo 2 to 7) are Cob x Dartmoor hill ponies 4 fillies and the brown and whites are 2 colts, about 10 months old to make 13' - 14/14'2hh approx. These little ones have no more time left. the farmer wants them removed asap and has done since I agreed to find them homes. THESE HAVE NO TIME LEFT, THEY WILL BE SHOT IF THEY HAVE NOT GOT HOMES, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY FOSTER HOMES FOR THESE YOUNGSTERS WE HAVE FOUND NEARLY HALF HOMES BUT STILL LOOKING FOR FOREVER, LOVING HOMES FOR THESE TOO. PLEASE THEY ARE DESPERATE NOW.
|
Could you please help us by putting out this appeal as we need homes for all remaining ponies before their little lives are taken from us. IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN THESE LITTLE FOALS PLEASE PLEASE CONTACT MARY ON 07789676116 OR EMAIL mary.tyrer@hotmail.com or h.o.p.edartmoorhillponyrescue@hotmail.co.uk THEIR TIME IS RUNNING OUT AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE IF YOU CAN HELP RING ME. THANK YOU.
|
|
arki
Advanced Poster
Posts: 364
|
Post by arki on Apr 19, 2012 7:02:16 GMT 1
Just in case anyone is thinking about it I got a rescue dartmoor foal at the beginning of year and he is the most fabulous pony!! He is still nervous of some things but I haven't done a lot with him. He is out in the field with my others and this has helped him leaps and bounds. If anyone has space but doesn't have time just turn one out with one other or a herd and they will be fine - being with domesticated horses does the world of good. Please someone help!!! I can't take anymore
|
|
|
Post by troop on Apr 19, 2012 14:24:23 GMT 1
I wish i could and if and when i have lots of land/money i will take on more :/ this makes me so sad.
|
|
Caroline
Grand Prix Poster
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 2,277
|
Post by Caroline on Apr 19, 2012 23:14:05 GMT 1
Thanks for that arki
|
|
|
Post by bramblesmum on Apr 20, 2012 11:46:44 GMT 1
Where are these guys located roughly
|
|
|
Post by jackiedo on Apr 20, 2012 12:44:59 GMT 1
And STILL after 3 years of this we are no further forward.
|
|
Caroline
Grand Prix Poster
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 2,277
|
Post by Caroline on Apr 20, 2012 16:07:03 GMT 1
bramblesmum - they are in Dartmoor. I am not sure exactly where though. (Please call Mary for exact location and more details.) Are you thinking of having one? That would be wonderful!
|
|
|
Post by bramblesmum on Apr 23, 2012 9:14:11 GMT 1
I would love to caroline but dartmoor is too far for me to get one x poor loves hope they find good homes x
|
|
dptc
Olympic Poster
Posts: 557
|
Post by dptc on Apr 27, 2012 19:22:44 GMT 1
Just wanted to add for anyone considereing it that we have several good transporters down here on dartmoor that are used to unhandled ponies and will do very reasonable rates for shared journeys. So if 4 or five ponies are taken to an area together you could get it done for £50 a pony. Dillon was part of a load of 6? I think and we have sent loads of 5 or 6 to Kent, Sussex and Northants. So don't rule out these little chaps if you live further afield, where there's a will and all that. They are the most fabulous ponies and will pay you back ten fold. Upping for the Darties!!
|
|
arki
Advanced Poster
Posts: 364
|
Post by arki on Apr 28, 2012 8:21:55 GMT 1
Dillon was actually one of 4 and we used Paul of PC Transport who was fab and for the 200 mile trip it was only £50 per pony. I couldn't have driven there and back for double that!!! I have to say of all the ponies I have Dillon is the bravest and I have to say is in my heart! Also with good feed they can get bigger than you would have thought. Dillon is already the same height as my section a and everyone around thinks that he will be around 13.2 - may be dreaming but if he is he will be big enough for me to ride!! Yippee!! He also has movement to die for!!!!
|
|
|
Post by kafee on Apr 28, 2012 9:16:24 GMT 1
I find this thread really agonising, and I must stop looking at it.
I took on Tor through Mary Tyrer, following a similar appeal 2 years ago, and right from the start he's been the most delightful little pony I've ever met. Tor is a Shetland (Dartmoor Hill pony), he is very friendly, well mannered, despite being 'full of character' and exposed to the walkers on the busy footpath through my field!
I would love to go and collect all the colts that are looking for homes, I've got the trailer to collect all of them, the knowledge, experience and facilities to cope with unhandled, but not the room in the field for them forever, or even until they are 'made' ponies, and I'm pretty hopeless at selling. I'm doing my best with the ones I have.
Why don't these farmers reduce the number of ponies on the moors and increase the sheep. They're farmers for goodness sake, surely that makes good business sense: there's a ready market for lamb. Why keep producing stock they can't sell?
|
|
|
Post by jackiedo on Apr 28, 2012 20:04:25 GMT 1
Kafee I feel the same. I have a lovely pony who came off dartmoor 12 years ago, and kept him until he was 4, had him professionally broken, loaned him out and he has in total had 3 loan homes in his life (well, 2 really as one is from the same family almost.. very close friends) but it is a massive commitment to take on a small pony for over 20 years, and simply there are too many ponies and not enough homes. I have nightmares about this still, and feel guilty that I can no longer help. I wonder if the farmers who breed them feel any guilt? Even if we could sort if for all these ponies, there will still be more next year, and the year after that.... why don't these farmers take some responsibility? Yes... it may be a "way of life" but so was sending children down the pits in my area, until we learned better. I see them dragged round local markets, sometimes so dehydrated with 3 or more stickers on them.. terrified, unloved and ending up messed around by idiots, tied up on allotments and in gardens, left alone without shelter. What are the Dartmoor people doing about this? I mean those who promote the area for tourism and make a profit from people who come to see the ponies?
|
|
|
Post by tawnygirl on Apr 29, 2012 17:26:55 GMT 1
I wish I could help out, i'd love one of the cob x dartmoors
|
|
dptc
Olympic Poster
Posts: 557
|
Post by dptc on Apr 30, 2012 19:43:48 GMT 1
Kaffe and Jackiedo, I totally feel your frustration. There are lots of people on Dartmoor who care deeply and are doing everything they can. It is however an immensly complicated situation and not nearly as cut and dried as it looks from the outside. There are some very resposible and caring farmers who take great pride in the ponies they produce as well as in all their stock, and they work with us and other charities like HOPE to maximise the chances for the ponies they are producing. Each area of common is overseen by a commoners council and the commoners councils set the bylaws for stock management on Dartmoor. There are many seperate councils governing many different farms who have commoners grazing rights for the moors. The problem basically boils down to the fact that there is no actual scheme at present for maintianing herd numbers on the more without ending up with more foals than the market can support. Dartmoor looks and functions the way it does, as an echo system because of the ponies, sheep and cattle do not graze the gorse (which can be very invasive) but the ponies do. The number of ponies on the moor is already to low and they end up having to burn off gorse instead. The ponies are also a massive tourist draw and very inmportanmt for the local economy. Which is why it is very frustrating that the main agencies like the National park authority, natural england and the Duchy don't do more to help. Although even when money to help manage the ponies more efficiently is offered it still runs into trouble because the groups of farms on any given common have to agree how to pass out funds and 300 years of Dartmoor politics suddenly rears it's ugly head! Getting anyone to agree to anything is incredibly hard. What is really needed is more head of pony stock but less breeding individuals each year, without loss of genetice material. There are several trial schemes up and running including the one for mare contraceptives and a vasectomised stallion one. The key in the long run will be to offer farmers as many viable choices for reducing foal production as possible so that they do not feel preached at and can choose what will work for them. In the mean time as gruesome as it is for horse lovers, the zoo meat scheme where ponies are shot on the farm by a very competent proffessional does mean a humane end and some use for excess stock. I do believe change is happening, albeit slowly, but in the mean time we continue to try and help as many as we can. We don't want to have to mop up the problem, we want to help sort it out. But that's not the fault of last years or next years foals and I truly don't believe that we are "supporting" a bad system, the farmers still make a loss on ponies, none of them really want to make a profit, they would just be happy if they didn't make a big loss like the do now. There are good farmers and bad, as in all walks of life, but all we can dos is keep trying to work with them all and being as pragmatic as we can for the ponies sake.
|
|
|
Post by andyt on May 2, 2012 19:41:46 GMT 1
Upping! ....and Caroline I have given your details to a friend at work as we have no more room! They are starting to look for at least one companion pony as they may be getting some more land near their place in Devon. Hopefully you'll get a phone call from them in the near future.
|
|