Having been one of our volunteers for more than ten years, Pam Jackman has recently stepped back from her pony duties due to other commitments. Thank you Pam for all your help over the years, which has been truly appreciated.
The ponies are checked by volunteers each day to make sure they are all in good health. This involves a straightforward visual check and typically the only real challenge can be finding them in the first place(!), especially in the summer months when the trees and scrub are in full leaf. Some of the volunteers also periodically round up the ponies so that the farrier can trim their hooves; this happens roughly three times a year. We are looking for new volunteers to join the weekly rota so if you are interested please contact Tim Angell on 01328 700045 who can explain a bit more about what is involved.
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE PONIES!
Unfortunately, we need to repeat this message yet again, having received more reports recently about people seen feeding the ponies, both from cars and a family feeding them from a bucket. The message not to feed the animals is such an important one for the following reasons:
a) any extra feeding – even apples or carrots – could be severely detrimental to the ponies’ health with the potential to cause laminitis and even death.
b) if the ponies see vehicles or people as a source of food this will encourage the animals to come and pester them, and also to hang about on the road. Especially with the darker evenings there will be an increased risk of accidents.
Where possible we try to speak to anyone seen feeding the ponies to explain why it is such a bad thing to do; most people who do this are completely unaware of the potential harm they could be causing and take the advice we give them on board. We will be very grateful for any help the general public can give in spreading this message.
Welcome to Litcham 