RSPCA Groom Nicky helped care for ponies Jack and Tia at
RSPCA Gonsal Farm Equine Centre. Meanwhile, RSPCA Groom
Jaymie cared for ponies Pombear and Pringle at our Felledge
Equine Centre.
"At first they were scared and would run away whenever I came
close," Jaymie tells us. "But over the next two weeks, we spent
lots of time with them so they could get used to our voices and
movements. Eventually, we managed to put their headcollars on."
Getting to know them
Nicky and Jaymie both got to know the ponies in their care.
"Jack is very friendly and loves food! He's finishing his training
and soon he'll be ready to go to a forever home," says Nicky.
"Tia's a lovely girl, who was very frightened when she first came
into the centre. She's still a bit wary of humans, but is learning
to trust us."
"Pombear was withdrawn at first," says Jaymie. "But we paired
her up with a quiet horse called Tara, who kept her calm. Now, she
loves attention, especially being brushed!"
"Pringle needed more one-on-one time than the others, but he's
come such a long way that we've been able to rehome him and
Pombear. Both ponies are living happy lives with their new owners."
A dream job
Caring for horses and ponies is hard work, but Nicky says rehoming
them makes it all worthwhile.
"We love helping nervous ponies," she says. "Seeing them grow
in confidence and finding them homes is so satisfying."
Jaymie feels the same. "I love to see a horse go from being
poorly or weak to living a happy life. It's really rewarding."
Thanks to our experts, ponies will be living healthy and happy
lives - on and off the Common - for years to come.
Words: Lily Church-Pratt. Photos: Brett Harkness and Emma Jacobs/RSPCA. Illustrations: vecteezy.com
Here's Porsha - one of the ponies we
helped rescue in 2023. She made a
full recovery at Felledge and is now
loving life with her young owner, Will
Right: Here's Jaymie on a walk with Pringle
Bottom: Over at Gonsal, Jack's munching
on hay, having his hooves checked, and
playing with his bestie, Gary
Want to learn about caring for horses? Visit: rspca.org.uk/horses with your grown-up 9
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