The Newsletter of Lluest Horse and Pony Trust Autumn/Christmas 2014

Behind the stable doors

Charity number 1150948 Company number 8359099

Dear Friends and Supporters,

It has been a busy summer. Pictured are just some of the horses and ponies we

have admitted over the last few months. Even though we have had a good

summer, and the grazing has been plentiful, there are still countless cases of

suffering.

Colts continue to be abandoned in large numbers. Mares with foals at foot, and

pregnant yet again, struggle to regain condition before the onset of another

winter when they will be left to fend for themselves. Most of these equines carry

a heavy worm burden and receive not even the most basic care.

Thanks to your continued support and generosity, we have increased our re-

homing numbers significantly on last year.

To admit and re-home entails, at its most basic level, tetanus vaccinations,

microchip and passport, farriery and delousing as well as important health checks

to eliminate the presence of infectious diseases such as Strangles.

Some of the horses and ponies arrive with other health problems, and need

several veterinary treatments before they are well enough to be considered

suitable for re-homing.

Others are so emotionally traumatised by their experiences that they need a

significant period of rehabilitation so that they can learn to trust again.

If Lluest Horse and Pony Trust had not been able to admit these horses and

ponies, their future would have been bleak. They owe their lives and a safe,

secure future to you.

So, on their behalf, thank you to each and every one of you who has supported

the Trust in any way. There will be many more equines in desperate trouble over

the coming months, and we need to be there for them. We hope you can help.

The Lluest Team would like to

New Year.

We would like to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Lluest Horse and Pony Trust

Beili Bedw Farm

Llanddeusant

Llangadog

Carmarthenshire

SA19 9TG

01550 740661

www.lluesthorseandponytrust.co.uk

Twenty Nine Years of Saving

Also in 1985, one of Lluest’s most generous supporters started saving. Paul Newman of Charcroft Electronics in Llanwrtyd Wells started putting his loose coppers into a 4.5 litre whisky bottle. That bottle is now almost full, and Paul has offered the contents as first prize in this year’s Lluest Christmas Raffle. The staff of the Llanwrtyd branch of Barclays Bank have very kindly offered to count the coins in their own time – thank you Pat and Jackie! There was a fantastic response to last year’s raffle and the proceeds made a real difference to winter bills, paying for extra bedding, hay and feed. Please could you support the raffle again this year? Why not buy them as stocking fillers, or pop them inside a Christmas card to a friend? Tickets can be obtained by phoning the office on 01550 740661 or by emailing pat.dryden@lluesthorseandponytrust.co.uk The draw will take place on New Year’s Eve.

Lluest Little Jon

Our grateful thanks to Support Adoption for Pets for their grant funding for urgent repairs to our isolation block unit.

During the storms of last winter, the roofs of our isolation block and hay store sustained terrible damage, and that combined with rotten timbers and loose block work meant that the facilities were rendered virtually unusable. An intrinsic part of our admittance procedure is strict isolation and this meant that the number of welfare cases we could deal with was severely restricted. Support Adoption for Pets very generously funded these essential repairs, and we will now be in a position to offer safe, suitable and secure housing for our new intakes over the coming winter. Thanks also to our contractor, Dale Vaughan, and his team for doing a fantastic job within budget!

This young colt foal had been tethered by his neck. He was impounded by Cardiff Trading Standards when he was found straying with the remains of his tether trailing behind him. At less than six months old, this little boy should still be with his mother. Instead, he found himself in a desperate situation with no home and no-one to take responsibility for him. After receiving the call for help, Lluest agreed to provide a safe haven for this vulnerable foal.

As a colt, he will need to be castrated so that he can lead a happy and stress-free life with other horses. He will need to be handled carefully and begin his education. We have saved his life, but now the work begins. One day he will make a lovely companion or riding pony. For now, he needs the love and security that we can offer.

In 1985, Lluest Horse and Pony Trust was founded by the late Ginny Hajdukiewicz. Since then, the lives of over 300 horses, ponies, foals and donkeys have been saved, and the lives of many people have been enriched by the opportunity of being a long term loan home.

The stunningly handsome Pryderi is the newest member of our Sponsor Pony group. Sponsor packs cost £24 per year and include a certificate, photograph, fridge magnet and window sticker.

The Lluest 2015 calendar is now available at

just £5 plus P&P. At a useful double A4 size it

contains stunning photographs of our rescue ponies, past and present.

Fantastic Christmas presents!

“The hard work that Lluest does is astounding, the care that they manage to give to horses and ponies is second to none – all that with very, very little funding. I pledge my support for their One in a Million Campaign (see website) and wish them the very best on their free open day.

Further dialogue took place regarding stray stallions, the absence of microchips in many equines, and the disparity in legislation throughout parts of the UK.

Our special guest for the day was Stifyn Parri, who commentated and entertained visitors throughout the day, as well as taking part in the final Grand Parade.

Rainbow will never

have to endure

the suffering her

mother has

Linus takes a bow at Open Day! On the weekend of 10

th August, the remains of Hurricane Bertha arrived,

bringing torrential rain and high winds, and causing us to postpone our Open Day. But on the 21

st September, the sun shone and visitors flocked in

to see for themselves the work that Lluest Horse and Pony Trust does.

It was a day packed with activities, including demonstrations in the main arena led by Head Groom, Bethan Matthews. Bethan worked with Linus (left) and Zorro (below), both of them rescue ponies who arrived at the Trust in extremely poor condition. Linus did a demonstration of free work, showing the trust he has in his handler, while Zorro showed the crowd the benefits of clicker training, and even managed an encore performance in the afternoon!

The many visitors had the opportunity to see our Sponsor Ponies, including Pryderi, the new member of the sponsor group. There was also the chance for children (and adults!) to cuddle one of our rescued Shetlands. Our thanks go to Ann Slater who brought along three of her therapy donkeys, who work within the community, and all of them rescues. It was also the official opening of our new on-site tack shop, and it proved to be very popular with people looking for good quality used tack and rugs.

Of course, the day simply could not have happened without the help and support of our staff and army of supporters and volunteers who worked tirelessly before and during the day. Thank you to you all! We were delighted to welcome back Roger Williams, MP for Brecon & Radnorshire and Secretary for the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse, who pledged his support for the results that Lluest achieves:

Most of all, we would like to thank you, our supporters, for coming on the day and showing such generosity.

Long-time loyal supporter

Barbara Bell’s 2014

Christmas Appeal.

Lluest Rockin’ Robbie kicks off the appeal in Claytons

shop with staff member Tanya

We are asking people visiting Claytons to

remember the rescued horses and ponies

at Lluest Horse and Pony Trust over the

Christmas period. This year we are asking

for donations that will include everything

that Claytons sells for horses and ponies including all health products and wormers

as well as feed. In addition, following last

year’s demand, Claytons are selling for us

little handmade ponies of every colour

under the sun. Every single penny raised

will go straight into the fund to buy

provisions from Claytons.

So please, donate a bag of feed or other

Clayton’s product when you’re next in

Claytons or buy a little knitted pony. And if

you can’t get there in person, they are

happy to take phone donations too. As in

previous years, all the “presents” will be

taken to Lluest just before Christmas.

We were delighted to welcome back Jo Snell, General Manager, and Ryan Rouse, Welfare Officer, from Bransby Horses,

Lincoln, when they visited the Trust in September. Bransby Horses has very generously

supported Lluest for over twelve months by funding the wage for a member of staff.

Jo and Ryan enjoyed a tour of the farm to discuss recent developments, including

improved land management, and increased re-homing numbers. They pledged their

continued support for Lluest and we look forward to a collaborative future relationship.

Over the summer we have been busy with

improvements to the grazing, including harrowing

and rolling. Our grazing is of paramount

importance, and a programme of continual

maintenance is essential.

Unfortunately, our aged roller has finally reached a

point beyond repair and we have to replace it.

The main barn provides the majority of our stabling,

and is full over the winter months. A generous

donation allowed us to re-wire it over the summer

months, and other repairs have been addressed, but

the barn desperately needs painting, and the boxes

need to be fitted with rubber matting which saves on

bedding and provides a cleaner, more hygienic and

comfortable bed for the horses and ponies, particularly

those who are underweight.

Are you able to help us provide good quality accommodation for our rescued

equines, or help us to continue with our land management programme? Rubber

matting costs about £140 per box, and a replacement roller will be about £500.

Donations can be marked specially for these appeals – thank you!

Introducing our new

Ambassador, Shan Cothi

Shan Cothi said of her new role as Ambassador for Lluest Horse and Pony Trust: “I could not believe the severity of the situation

regarding the plight of abandoned horses here in Wales. Being a blacksmith's daughter I have come across certain cases over the

years where the neglect of horse exists but like many of the general public, I was not fully aware of the extent of the crisis.”

“It’s tragic that horses are being abandoned on our common lands and left to die from starvation and exposure. The work that Lluest Trust does to help alleviate that is superb. But, they are overstretched and can barely make ends meet to cover the cost of new arrivals.” Shan said of the “Sponsor a Horse” campaign that the Trust runs: “It only costs £24 a year to sponsor a Lluest horse, and they hold special events, where you can come and visit your horse. I think that’s a great idea!”

June Newman, Lluest Chair of Trustees, says of Shan’s eagerness to step in as Ambassador for Lluest: “We at Lluest Horse and Pony Trust are overjoyed and overwhelmed with the offer of support from Shan Cothi. She is such a busy person and to offer her time and support will make a real difference to us, thank you Shan.”

Working

exclusively

with Claytons

Animal Feeds,

Ammanford, we

are pleased to

launch the 2014

“Fill the Lorry”

appeal.