Ponies in very poor condition rescued from Poldark location
Three ponies have been rescued from the same spot in Cornwall where parts of the hit BBC One series Polkdark were filmed — and have been named after the characters.
Local vets, farmers and Bodmin Moor Shadow Commons Council carried out the rescue operation over the weekend (11-12 April) with help from Redwings Horse Sanctuary.
A stallion, mare and foal were found in a poor condition running loose on the moor and have since been named after characters in the popular Sunday night drama.
The dark bay stallion, Ross Poldark, was found in the Craddock Moor area and was very thin with a body condition score of 0.5.
“He was extremely weak and would almost certainly have died without immediate help,” said Lorna Stevenson, the vet who authorised the ponies’ removal.
The mare, Demelza (pictured top with her foal), was found in the Pensilva area and was also very thin with a body condition score of one. Her foal, Julia, is thought to be between seven- and 10-days-old.
The ponies have been moved to a nearby yard where they are receiving urgent care. No owners have come forward for them.
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“Just like the real Poldark, our little pony Ross bears the scars of battle,” said Julie Dowton, secretary of the Bodmin Moor Commoners.
“He also has lustrous brown locks, and although he is very thin at the moment we hope he will one day have his rippling muscles too! Demelza in the series is a scrawny little thing who is totally unloved until help comes along, what else could we call her?
“It was an extremely tough few days but we are so pleased that this story has a happy ending.”
Since rescuing 19 ponies from Bodmin Moor in 2011, Redwings has been working to establish a Bodmin Moor Commons Council, the results of which will be released in a few weeks.
“We believe an established council made up of representatives from the commoners, local vets and other interested parties who have the authority to take action on issues like these, could make a real and lasting difference to the welfare of the ponies on Bodmin,” added Redwings head of welfare and behaviour, Nic de Brauwere.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.