‘It’s so good to make a difference’
When Pauline Bell retired from her teaching job, she decided to try something different. Having been a horse lover all her life, when she heard the RSPCA were looking for foster homes for ponies, at the same time as her own horses had not long passed away, she thought it sounded ideal for her.
After applying to the RSPCA and having her horse facilities checked, in May 2012 she was given her first two ponies, Bill and Toby. “While I don’t often know the back story of the ponies that come to me, sometimes they’ve been neglected or something has happened to them that means they’ve ended up with the RSPCA. At this point they’re too
young to go to a family to be ridden so they have a gap in their life where someone needs to look after them until they’re three or four and can be rehomed. That’s where fosterers like me come in,” says Pauline (72). The ponies stay with Pauline for one or two years until they’ve grownup enough to move on.
“I feed and care for them but the RSPCA pays the vet bills, inoculations and microchips. I also handle them so they get used to a rein, grooming and lifting up their feet, ready for them to one day be ridden. I’m a bit like a nursery school teacher getting them ready before they go to big school.” From those first two ponies, Pauline has since fostered six more – always brought to her in pairs. “The ponies fit me so well as they love routine and so do I. I also love that they get me out into the countryside as I check on their stable
‘I’m like a proud mum – I just want to give them a big cuddle and say well done’
from which I can see the sun rise and set over the Pennines.
“The hardest part is giving them up for adoption. I’m a bit like a mum sending her children to boarding school and I’ll often write a little essay to whoever they’re going to saying things like ‘please don’t forget to put cream on Louis’ knee’. But I got used to it eventually as I know I can’t do the next step of their education and that they’ll go on to have a valuable, happy and useful life.
“The RSPCA are also very good at letting me know what happens to the ponies afterwards and that makes me realise I’ve actually given them a chance at a great life. I’m like a proud mum – I just want to give them a big cuddle and say well done.
“I think to be a good pony fosterer you’ve got to like ponies, be calm in personality and have spare time. I’m 72 but I’d love to carry on as it’s such a lovely thing to do in my retirement.”