Connor the pony has been with us several months. He was rescued from a Welsh Market and came to the Sanctuary as a companion for Christian. The two of them do get along very well but Connor had had such a traumatic start in life that he was terrified of the things on two legs and had shut himself of from people. We felt that we just were not doing our best by Connor as we couldn’t spend enough time with him so that he could become used to us, gain confidence and generally be a much happier pony. Enter volunteer John, a local man with two horses and a pet sheep of his own and who must be our local “horse whisperer”. He and Connor are great chums, Connor whinnies when he hears John’s voice. John spends an hour every day with Connor who now plays with him and loves his company. So, fingers, toes and hooves crossed that Connor will eventually become the relaxed and happy pony he deserves to be.

Great News

Biggles has taken his first 6 steps on his own and Christopher can now stand for a few minutes with a hand to steady him.

Japanese visitors

Last month we had two unexpected visitors from Japan. A doctor and his wife who is training to be a vet. They had seen the Sanctuary on the internet and, as they intend to open a similar sanctuary in Japan, decided to come and see how we operated. They were very impressed and will keep in touch and support our animal here too. We wish them great success with their compassionate venture.

First visit to the vet in 18 years

“And I’ll make sure it’s the last” – we hear her say. One of our very ancient feral cats stopped eating and, having finally managed to grab her, we found she had very severely infected gums. So, one visit to the vet, teeth cleaned, and a course of antibiotics later, she is now back to crunching biscuits and chasing the mice in the feed shed.