Two abandoned foals sparked an “SOS” after they were found loose near a busy main road.
The coloured colts, thought to be around four months old, were discovered by a landowner around 7am on 5 September wandering from open fields towards the A19 in North Yorkshire.
A spokesman for World Horse Welfare told H&H PC Sarah Ward attended from North Yorkshire Police and contacted the charity’s officer Sarah Tucker for help in catching the foals, who were named Bill and Ben by Ms Ward.
“They were unhandled and would need to be rounded up so Sarah asked Bransby Horses in Lincolnshire for additional support and they arrived with their catching pens and a team of helpers,” he said.
“Local members of the public also put out an SOS and 30-plus people from the surrounding area came to help, including a local window cleaner who thoughtfully brought a length of rope with him. Guided by Sarah and the Bransby team, everyone followed instructions perfectly and from putting the pens up it took 15 minutes to contain Bill and Ben. One of the local helpers was a World Horse Welfare rehomer who arrived on a quad bike to assist and brought water and feed for the foals.”
“Sarah checked them visually once they were in the pen and they were assessed to be in very good condition but thirsty. Once they had had a drink and a rest they were loaded into a transporter and taken to a private boarding facility.”
Ms Tucker said: “People arrived en masse to come and assist and we are so grateful to them — without them we wouldn’t have been able to catch Bill and Ben in such a timely manner to minimise their stress.”
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The foals will be rehomed directly from the boarding facility.
“They are in very good condition so it’s likely that they will be rehomed quite quickly,” said Sarah.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police told H&H the foals were not microchipped and no owner was located. Anyone with information is asked to call 10 quuptong reference 12190164691.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
