The rescuers of a foal who was reported as having metal wrapped round his leg were staggered to find the colt had two tin cans stuck on his foot.
World Horse Welfare field officer Becky Bedson found the foal with its dam, and other horses, in a field full of rubbish in Essex in December.
“Sure enough, there was the foal with his mum, and I could see him moving about freely, but I could also see what looked like a can on its hoof – like a baked bean can,” Becky said. “The environment was full of rubbish and quite a lot of hazards; it was a pretty bleak place to live.”
Becky said the snow-covered field was a large one and although the mare seemed friendly, the foal appeared “extremely skittish” and unhandled so she returned with help to catch him. Thanks to the mare’s calmness, the pair were secured in a small pen, then taken to a veterinary clinic, where the foal was sedated so the can could be removed.
“Incredibly, there wasn’t just one can on his foot, there were two,” Becky said. “Whether he’d stood on a large one with a small one in it, we really don’t know, it was quite an incredible find.”
The cans were carefully cut off and it was found the foal had managed to avoid serious injury. Vets believe the cans had been on his foot for a couple of weeks, and that he should make a full recovery.
An abandonment notice was posted on the field and as no owners came forward, the mare and foal were signed over to World Horse Welfare, and have been moved to the charity’s Hall Farm centre in Norfolk. Both were in poor body condition with overgrown hooves, and they will be cared for, and should be candidates for rehoming in future.
And, in a moment of genius, the pair have been named – Tintin and Snowy.
“There’s often a chuckle about what we’ll rename ponies and because it wasn’t sad; it was a good rescue and he was uninjured, we batted a few around,” said Becky. “Toucan was one suggestion but we went for Tintin for the foal and Snowy, as there was snow on the ground and it was just before Christmas.”
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