SHADOW

Shadow is one of nine equines who was rescued from a small family business run as a community interest company hosting pony parties and claiming to provide equine-assisted therapy sessions for vulnerable people.

When Shadow arrived at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary he was underweight and he scored just 1.5 out of 5 on a body condition score chart. Despite how thin he was it was clear he’d been involved in children’s activities recently because he still had orange and green paint on his coat. As well as the paint on his coat, he was covered in lice which were causing him enough pain to need daily painkillers.

On arrival at his previous rescue home at our partnering National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) charity, the Mare & Foal Sanctuary, his hooves were very overgrown. It was clear that he had not received farrier care for a long time. Because of his overgrown hooves, he was wobbly as he walked and clearly uncomfortable. His hooves were trimmed and rebalanced to help distribute his weight more evenly. Once this was done, he began to walk more comfortably. He also had medicated baths to remove the itchy lice from his coat.

Unfortunately, the high worm burden he accrued before he was rescued had caused damage to his gut. This meant that after he was rescued, he suffered a bout of colic, a painful stomach ache that required immediate emergency veterinary attention.

These days Shadow is doing much better. He has put on weight and is now a healthy weight for a Shetland Pony. He no longer has lice, and his worm burden is under control, although this is something our team is monitoring carefully.

Now that he is feeling better Shadow’s true personality shines through! His grooms describe him as a true gentleman. He is very independent and doesn’t mind spending his time alone in the field away from his field mates; always happy and enjoying a good pile of hay. He can be a bit worried around the others and is still nervous during feeding time but puts on a very brave face when helping his herd mate, Darth Vader, as he goes through training to develop his confidence.