Orphaned foal James is settling into a new home in Wiltshire after being successfully matched to a foster mare.
Staff at HorseWorld in Bristol put out an appeal for a mare who had recently lost her own foal after finding the three-day-old abandoned on a common in Wales on 26 May.
At the time Sarah Hollister, of the equine welfare team at HorseWorld, said: “The foal was extremely weak when we picked him up and he is suffering from a severe infection in his joints which may also have caused some liver damage.”
But now James is “full of bounce” and happily living with foster mother Cassie, a six-year-old Welsh Section A mare belonging to Nicky Chalk of East Knoyle (pictured below).
Cassie had given birth to a badly deformed foal that had to be put to sleep.
Nicky said: “Cassie was very distressed when she lost her foal — it was her second and I know from experience that she is a brilliant mum.
“As soon as I heard about James I contacted HorseWorld and when Cassie saw him she loved him straight away. I think she believes he is her foal.”
Vets now believe that James will make a full recovery.
He will spend at least six months with Cassie before returning to HorseWorld once he is weaned.
