Polly, a three-year-old skewbald horse, was shockingly thin when she arrived at Felledge Equine and Animal Centre.
Because she hadn’t eaten properly for so long, Polly was half the weight she should have been when she arrived at the centre.
An underweight Polly at the start of her recovery
She was given a special diet, and the amount of food she received was increased gradually so she didn’t get colic (a potentially fatal stomach condition).
As well as helping Polly gain weight and improve her health, work began to help her trust humans and teach her “stable manners”, including allowing people to enter her stable, simple voice commands and having her feet picked up.
Rachael Duffy, a groom at the centre, was in charge of her training, and spent many hours with Polly, trying to gain her trust. She said:
“Polly would put her ears back when you went near her and didn’t like anyone being in the stable when she was eating. But after a few weeks of working with Polly, she began to understand that I was there to help. Suddenly she started waiting for me at the field gate when it was time to come in.”
After six months, Polly was ready to for staff to see if she could be trained to be ridden. This was done in a gentle and gradual way, by introducing new experiences and building up Polly’s confidence.
Nine months after Polly arrived at the centre, Rachael sat in the saddle for the first time.
Groom Rachael Duffy riding Polly for the first time
Rachael says:
“Polly is perfect now. She loves cuddles and kisses and is a lovely horse to be around.”
Polly loves kisses!
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The Lonely Pony Page 6