Teddy’s First Birthday!
Last year we told you about Teddy’s dramatic rescue – here’s an update…
First birthdays are always special and it was just so when friends gathered to celebrate little Teddy’s big day.
It was only thanks to Sharon Holt that the miniature Shetland pony was there to celebrate at all – for last year, the horse and pony lover rescued the three-dayold foal and his mother from a cramped lorry destined for a foreign slaughterhouse.
Sharon brought Teddy and Harriet back to her Berkshire stable to live with the other Shetlands she’s saved over the years.
“He has become a bit of a local celebrity,” says Sharon. “People have followed his progress on social media and supported me physically and financially since Teddy arrived. I wanted to say thank you to them. So a few of his ‘aunties’ came here for champagne and nibbles and carrot cake.
“Teddy was so tiny when he first arrived, but now he is growing up fast. He still likes to play with his Pooh Bear and his ball but he also loves playing with the other ponies and chasing them around. His best friend is six-year old Bailey and they are very entertaining – they actually play tag.
“Sometimes they start the others off too and zoom around the paddock, happily fly-bucking away. I take Teddy out for walks and he loves that because we find lots of nice weeds and grass for him to eat on the way, and he gets to see some different sights. He also enjoys all the attention from the people we meet.” Teddy and his Shetland companions Bailey, Harriet, Saffy, Fallon, Peri and Sharon’s horse April have also proved great stablemates to the ponies Sharon has rescued, brought back to health and rehomed.
“Teddy was completely obsessed with Wanda, the tiny Cob, when she arrived and kept trying to get ‘affectionate’ with her which, given their height difference, was all very comical! Wanda had been found wandering the streets several times – hence her name. The police contacted a local rescue and unfortunately they didn’t have room to take her in but I said yes. So she came to me early summer last year.”
“I found her a temporary home but after a few months she came back to me. She will go to a new home in a few weeks to be a companion to another rescue pony who had a very rough start, plus another couple of similarly aged ponies. She has had her teeth and feet done plus all her jabs and she is now used to being handled, so her
“A few of his ‘aunties’ came for carrot cake!”
future is looking very positive.
“Bobby and Breeze were two young black Shetlands being kept in a completely unsuitable back garden by a well-meaning lady. She had little idea how to care for them properly. They both had lice which my vet needed to treat, Bobby had liver damage and Breeze had an infection too. Thankfully medication and diet sorted these out. I managed to rehome them together in the most wonder ful place and now they are doing really well with lots of other ponies.
“Tinsel was left in a field, just skin and bone. I collected him on December 23 and he stayed with me for a few weeks. To begin with he was really nervous and he had completely shut down and wouldn’t eat, but he slowly progressed and put on weight. Before he was rehomed he was castrated and we also dealt with the usual lice, inoculations and so on to improve his condition, along with microchipping him and sorting out his passport (horse ID). He now has a brilliant new home.
“Last year I also had Button and Pippin. Pippin was rehomed within a week, but Button had one poorly eye due to some sort of trauma, which needed treating. She had also been destined for the meat lorry so I’m really pleased to say that she now lives the life of Riley in a fabulous home.
“I’m so thankful to my husband, who supports me so I can support my ponies and to my friends, followers and supporters who encourage me and donate money to enable me to care for the poor ponies I take in. I treat them all just like my own before rehoming them to the best possible place I can find. Without Teddy and my lovely little herd, I just wouldn’t be happy.”
We’d love to hear your stories! Email us at MYWEEKLY@DCTHOMSON.CO.UK with “Real Life” in the subject bar.