Horse sanctuary rescues Diss horse and nurses her back to health

An emaciated foal, who was found suffering from lice, worms and malnourishment, has been returned to health by a horse sanctuary.

Matilda, a nine-month-old cob cross, was rescued from a field in Diss by Redwings Horse Sanctuary back in March, when she was described as being in dangerously poor health.

Welfare veterinary surgeon Nicola Berryman, who was one of the team that rescued Matilda, said: “As well as a prolific infestation and emaciation, tests showed Matilda had very low protein levels in her blood and was anaemic.

“We started treating her cautiously and, with a careful feeding plan, we were able to help her safely put on weight.

“Matilda is sadly a classic example of a pony we often see in our welfare work. The way she turned the corner quite quickly shows that if her owner had just given her the basic care she needed, such as worming, feeding and feet trimming, then she would never have got into the state that she was in.”

Having regained most of her lost weight, Matilda has now been moved to the charity’s horse hospital in Hapton, Norfolk, for precautionary monitoring.

To help rebuild her confidence, she was introduced to an older pony named Mildred, who acts as a foster mum to rescued ponies, helping them integrate into a new herd.

Nicola said: “The Matilda who we rescued is almost unrecognisable now. She’s really coming into her own.

“When she first arrived, she was very sad, showed no personality and didn’t want to interact with us at all. Now she’s starting to display quite a curious, cheeky side which is great to see.”

Redwings Horse Sanctuary has taken in more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys this year, and is funded entirely by donations.