2011 Spindles Farm Update: Three Years on, The Horse Trust Celebrates the Progress Made by the Rescued Equines

The Horse Trust is today celebrating the progress made by the horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from Spindles Farm three years ago.

Of the more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from Spindles Farm between 4 and 9 January 2008, the 14 considered most “at risk” were taken to The Horse Trust in Speen, Buckinghamshire. This group were too weak to travel further and required extensive veterinary treatment.

Shirley Abbott, Yard Manager at The Horse Trust, said that three years on she still clearly remembers the horror of the rescue and is delighted with the progress the horses have made.

“I’ll never forget that Friday evening when the first horses arrived,” said Shirley. “I’ve never seen anything so horrendous in my life – the horses that arrived literally fell down the ramp. I burst into tears when I saw that. It’s very rewarding to see them now compared with how they were.”

All the animals taken in by The Horse Trust were underweight and had numerous health problems, including Strangles, salmonella and parasite infections. The charity has spent the last few years nurturing the animals back to health and most are now in good health.

One horse that has made a remarkable recovery is Angel, a blind mare who was severely underweight when she arrived at The Horse Trust and was reluctant to walk anywhere due to her sight loss.

Under the charity’s care, Angel’s weight has more than doubled and she is now confident walking around the fields at the sanctuary.

“When Angel arrived, she used to crash into fences and would fall over uneven ground. She can cope in any of our fields now and has been very clever at learning where the field boundaries are – I haven’t seen her walk into a fence for a couple of years,” said Ali Johnson, Angel’s groom at The Horse Trust.

Angel’s progress is partly thanks to the friendship she has developed with one-eyed horse Tarna. The two horses are now inseparable with Tarna guiding Angel to food, defending her from other horses and acting as a physical shield from obstacles.