A new “mother” for an orphaned foal
Proving that “nature will find a way”, a nanny goat who had never been outside has taken on the role of mother to a foal orphaned before she was a day old. Trudy Goulding of End House Stud, Lancashire was heartbroken to lose her thoroughbred mare Beauthea hours after she had given birth to a filly by Irish draught stallion Irish Mist. But having seen footage of a goat feeding an orphaned foal, she bought a goat from a local dairy farm and the pair have formed an “incredible bond”, the goat climbing up bales of straw to feed “her” baby.
Read more about this unusual pair
Surviving a runaway
American showjumper Lauren Hough had a very lucky escape at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida, USA, when the hackamore bridle she was using on a new stallion snapped in the ring. Lauren was left a passenger as the horse cantered multiple laps of the arena, including twice careering over the wings of one of the fences on course. Eventually a number of people, including Olympic champion Nick Skelton, came to her aid and managed to stop the horse before any harm was done.
Find out what Lauren had to say after the incident
An important warning
Visitors to the New Forest have once again been warned not to approach the semi-wild ponies after a video was shared of a child who was lucky to avoid being seriously injured while trying to pet some ponies. The commoner who caught the footage, of a family with a group of ponies on a wide area of grassland in Brockenhurst, shared it with a plea to stop visitors trying to touch or feed the animals. “Parents wouldn’t encourage their children to go up to a stranger, but they do encourage them to go up to a 350kg animal that bites at one end and kicks at the other. It blows my mind,” she said.
You might also be interested in:
‘These riders are role models’: national federation gives awards for good horsemanship in the warm-up
New research highlights links between stress, genes, and behaviour in equines
‘Always happy and singing’: vocal police horse retired after 10 years’ service
Subscribe to Horse & Hound this spring for great savings
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
