Found a couple of ponies! What do I do?!

mil1212

mil1212

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Went to bring in my 4 this morning and saw what I thought was a dog walker on the lane, which then whinnied and galloped off so realised it was a Shetland, followed by a pony, neither with a person attached. Spent a humerous time trying to catch any of mine, before returning to coral the escapee's in my manege. Problem is, I don't recognise these ponies, have texted locals and they don't know them either, so now what do I do?!
(with Ned's trip fresh in my mind they may have come from miles away!)
I am in Shropshire, down a really quite lane, there are 2 or 3 horsey people down it who's ponies they are not. They are a bay pony and a piebald Shetland which both look 'well'. So, what do I do now, who do I contact?
 
This happened locally to us a month or so ago. The person who found the pony rang the police and the RSPCA and they didnt want to know! Police said it wasnt a danger cos it had been caught and RSPCA said so long as it was caught and had food and water it wasnt their problem.
The girl put a pic of it on facebook and circulated it that way but no one ever came forward for it. They reckon she had been dumped.
Eventually someone offered to rehome her and thats what happened,
Good luck finding their owners
 
Whereabouts in Shropshire? - if it's in my neck of the woods I'll ask around, but yes call the police because they might be able to get a vet to scan them for a microchip.
 
Report to the council animal control/welfare officer.

Local council dog warden will have a microchip scanner.
 
In a more optimistic vein, escaped horses can travel surprising distances in a short space of time - as Nah now knows too well! - so they might not be as local as you think. Stick their photos on facebook and hopefully a worried owner will appear...
 
it may be worth and call to the local equine vets in your area to just ask if they are passing if they could pop in and scan them for id chips.

if not i suppose i would contact a large welfare organisation and ask them how you go about logging that they have been found and what to do if they are not claimed.

i would put some details on facebook to be circulated but not photos, there needs to be a way people can prove they are theirs
 
When all mine did a runner (long story, don't ask), after I had looked locally, I phoned the police and sure enough, someone had put them in a field and reported them to the police. so I got them back PDQ (though they could have kept the donkeys I felt!). Hope you find the owners soon, I should think they are frantic with worry.
 
I'm Lilleshall/Newport way. Seriously hope they haven't been dumped, it was my first concern about shutting them on my land, but what can you do?! Think I'll go take a photo of them. They don't actually have any food or water as they are on my manege, but the Shetland seems to be eating my jumps :(
 
Is the micro chip number of much use? As I recall, there is no central database. Gotta love DEFRA and their infallible traceable recording system!:D
 
I'd tell the police and then all the local equestrian places I could think of, then take pictures and circulate them on the internet as much as possible.
 
Police weren't great, they asked me what you normally do in this situation! errr......!
Obviously someone may not notice they are missing until later, but police suggested they may have been dumped. They have a little grass, going to hack out now and see if I can find anyone to ask, then will put them in a stable, the bay has quite bad sweet itch :(

 
Aww bless them! At least you managed to find them (or they found you lol) instead of them ending up on a main road or something. I'd let local tack shops and local vets know as well
if you've not already, even none horsey vets. Just trying to think of people I'd ring if mine ever went missing. Never a dull moment :D
 
Contact your local Horsewatch too. They look a bit too tidy to be dumped, but you never know I guess.

There was a horse that turned up near my old yard, a local person managed to catch it and put it in one of their fields. I was a nice Welsh D type and obviously looked after, but no-one came forward. His photo was even in H&H but no owners. Turned out the owners had gone on holiday and left a local girl looking after him; she only went down a couple of times, his escape wasn't noticed until the owners came back nearly two weeks later :eek:

All sorted in the end though. :)
 
Have you checked the lost/stolen section on here or cross-posted this to it? That Shetland looks familiar to me for some reason. Is it a Shetland or a miniature?
 
If the coloured is a stallion it is possible he belonged to us and we sold him to another mini breeder, he is reg with the Shetland society so should be able to track them down, that is if he hasn't been sold on - it was the Wales area he went to.
 
Post the picture of them on the Telford Horse and Pony sales group on Facebook, there are a lot of local owners and their friends on there. You are welcome to post them on my FB group The Stables at Mill Green as well, hopefully someone local will recognise them
 
Horsewatch and Facebook are good ways and the police should have a lost property book.

The horses look in OK condition from the pic so hopefully they are loved by someone.

At this time of year when people leave them in bare paddocks to control weight, they do try and eat from the other side of the fence and sometimes find a weakness in the fencing!
 
They have been claimed! Took a good hour to catch the Shetland, but they are on the way home now, police pointed them in the right direction. thanks everyone.
 
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