Meat colts - the true cost of rescuing them (a diary)

I got mine off the Welsh commons March 2012 from, https://www.facebook.com/groups/welshrehomingproject/, these are not bred for meat, but some are dumped and colts allowed to breed.
pony -free
transport £150
Wormer Panacur. 5 day £15, never seen so many red worm
Vet check, tetenus, passport and chip £75 You could count every rib and his back and hip bones stood out
Gelding this spring £200
Farrier £20
Desect- lots of £15
When I got him he was a yearling about 12hands , he is now about 13hands. He is very street wise but not nasty. I have my own land so I took a colt because not one wants them and I had just lost a horse and he was in a group in the police pound to be rehomed or shot.
There are more waiting so don't please buy one . The project only charges a fee if they have to geld before it leaves them to cover the cost of gelding. There are about 50 in the council pound waiting to be rehomed or culled.
 
Honeypot - I looked at the group and was a member but it was full of conspiracies and nastiness so I decided I wanted nothing more to do with it. I don't know if it has settled down now but the lady that ran it really put me off :(

Been out to feed the dogs and he's found his whinny - at the dogs though lol

When I got to his stable he was asleep (again - he sleeps a LOT!) and he didn't even get up when I went into his stable to get his haynet. He is very calm and very trusting.

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He is very taken by my other half despite him being fearful at first

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He even let him groom him

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When I groomed him I hit a tickly spot and got booted - idiot!

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That will teach me for being complacent :( I backed off a little and then carried on brushing him and he was fine and doing the whole lip quiver thing.

So all in all a pretty good first day! He's out loose on the yard still, able to come and go, and will be stabled at bed time - though he does seem to spend an awful lot of time voluntarily in the stable.
 
Oh forgot to add - got a measuring stick on him (which he couldn't have cared less about lol) and he is 11h1 at the wither and 11h3 at the bum. Tomorrow I am going to attempt leading ready for the vet who is coming at 5pm. After that I am going to be pretty hands off him other than a scritch and groom each day. He can go out once he's wormed and the ringworm is gone too and then he can have a week out uninterrupted to settle :)
 
Fides said:
Honeypot - I looked at the group and was a member but it was full of conspiracies and nastiness so I decided I wanted nothing more to do with it. I don't know if it has settled down now but the lady that ran it really put me off :(

Been out to feed the dogs and he's found his whinny - at the dogs though lol

When I got to his stable he was asleep (again - he sleeps a LOT!) and he didn't even get up when I went into his stable to get his haynet. He is very calm and very trusting.

3AA44B46-95B1-436C-B926-1BC0B4BEB68F_zpsbsekqiko.jpg


He is very taken by my other half despite him being fearful at first

A3743E9C-84B5-429D-A314-190D41EF7E2B_zpslzy71oqq.jpg


He even let him groom him

2EFBBDA6-7396-440F-87AE-824381A63EC7_zpslhzfintx.jpg


When I groomed him I hit a tickly spot and got booted - idiot!

43F5AE2F-D346-4559-805B-73F24CF2BB72_zpseswyuuco.jpg


That will teach me for being complacent :( I backed off a little and then carried on brushing him and he was fine and doing the whole lip quiver thing.

So all in all a pretty good first day! He's out loose on the yard still, able to come and go, and will be stabled at bed time - though he does seem to spend an awful lot of time voluntarily in the stable.
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I can only speak as I find, adopting him took about three weeks for the checks an I never had any problems. They are a very small group so everything takes longer because they do not have huge resources and office staff. As with all things horsy everyone has their own opinions, but it certainly less stressful than getting one from the RSPCA.
 
honetpot said:
I can only speak as I find, adopting him took about three weeks for the checks an I never had any problems. They are a very small group so everything takes longer because they do not have huge resources and office staff. As with all things horsy everyone has their own opinions, but it certainly less stressful than getting one from the RSPCA.
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It was more that they were accusing some local guy of stalking them and sabotaging the horses and putting it all over Facebook - it was all a bit weird. It might not have been the same people though.

Eta - nope checked the link, same people :(

They obviously love the horses but are a bit bat ***** crazy for me to deal with. I'm bad enough myself without adding another loon to the mix ;)
 
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He's so lucky to have found you and it's so refreshing to hear of someone willing to follow their heart to help a pony in need who also has the competence to do a "proper job". I look forward to following his progress and there's just something "special" about him, isn't there?
 
All credit to you for continuing with 'the charade' and managing to get 1 out of that hellhole. Bless little Oreo he is very sweet, a shame he's a bit too small for you but could be useful if you have some little humans. That is 1 lucky little pony, I'm sure all the sleep is doing him the world of good, I bet every time he wakes up he looks around and thinks "wow, it isn't a dream".
 
Dunlin said:
a shame he's a bit too small for you but could be useful if you have some little humans.
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That's a good enough reason to have a baby isn't it?! People have them for less ;)

As for 'the charade' it's a no win situation - don't take them and they go for meat, take them and they breed more. But they breed more anyway regardless... In a few years we will have no geldings and all mares!
 
He looks like a little dear, and very trusting. I'm sorry if you said and I missed it but how old do you think he is?
 
Well done for taking him on, it's easy to say that they will just replace the ones bought with others to sell, but you have turned his life around and that is all that matters to him :) A couple of years ago my friend rang me up asking for help, she'd bought a yearling cob off the gypsies, a 10 year old was selling him and had him tacked up and ridden. He was delivered and the first thing I said was that he was definitely much younger, and vet confirmed he was barely 6 months old... he'd had a full set of tack on and had been ridden by the gypsy kid :( He could barely stand up he was so weak, he had a full winter coat of lice- so many they were falling off him as he walked. My friend is used to rescuing, however she has only rescued cats before! so I offered to help

Here he is when he arrived
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After I clipped him to treat his unbelievable lice infestation
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The lice and eggs- a few days after clipping and treating with lice shampoo
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2 years on :)
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No idea how much he's cost, but easily a few hundred ! As he is rising 3, I will start to back him for her soon and hopefully he will make a good child's pony. Look forward to seeing how your lucky pony progresses, he is adorable !
 
Clodagh said:
He looks like a little dear, and very trusting. I'm sorry if you said and I missed it but how old do you think he is?
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He doesn't have a foal tail but is still very babyish so I recon about 18 months. The vet is coming tomorrow and will give more of an idea hopefully.

Hoof_Prints said:
Well done for taking him on, it's easy to say that they will just replace the ones bought with others to sell, but you have turned his life around and that is all that matters to him

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No idea how much he's cost, but easily a few hundred ! As he is rising 3, I will start to back him for her soon and hopefully he will make a good child's pony. Look forward to seeing how your lucky pony progresses, he is adorable !
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I am looking it that way - he is content and that is my main concern :)

Good for you with yours - looks a total credit to you! Backing is so exciting, and when you have that bond and trust it is all the more satisfying :)
 
I haven't read the whole thread, but I just wanted to say that Oreo is soo adorable and I can't wait to see what he looks like in a few months :) good luck and have fun with him!
 
Some people never cease to amaze me with what they will do to make money. Thank goodness for people like you who try to help. Good on you for taking this little one on, I hope you'll update us on a regular basis
 
Tiffany said:
Some people never cease to amaze me with what they will do to make money. Thank goodness for people like you who try to help. Good on you for taking this little one on, I hope you'll update us on a regular basis
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But it's because of peoples' good intentions that they DO make the money. :-(
 
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Moomin1 said:
But it's because of people's good intentions that they DO make the money. :-(
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But knowing they WILL go to slaughter, if you had room could you leave one? The kill colts are the byproduct of the general low cost of any low budget horse. The fillies don't cost the 'breeders' anything, it isn't cost effective to geld, so they kill :(

It's £23.50 for a basic passport, about the same again for a chip, then the callout fee, then the gelding puts it at nearly £300 before you even factor in any costs from the foaling and pregnancy itself. Unregistered yearlings don't even sell for this so it's not worth these horrible peoples' efforts :( hence the kill :( Only fillies have any value to them.
 
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Fides said:
But knowing they WILL go to slaughter, if you had room could you leave one? The kill colts are the byproduct of the general low cost of any low budget horse. The fillies don't cost the 'breeders' anything, it isn't cost effective to geld, so they kill :(
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Yes I'm afraid I could. There are too many horses in the country, and pts/going for meat is not a welfare issue.

Don't get me wrong though, I think it's lovely what you have done. :-)
 
Moomin1 said:
Yes I'm afraid I could. There are too many horses in the country, and pts/going for meat is not a welfare issue.

Don't get me wrong though, I think it's lovely what you have done. :-)
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Thanks Moomin. PTS/meat isn't a welfare issue but live travel to the continent is :(
 
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