Tantana’s story
World Horse Welfare Field Officer Tony Evans was called out to assist with a welfare concern involving a group of horses in central Wales in October 2016. When Tony arrived he was immediately concerned with the condition of these horses. Many of them were over the age of 20, in a very thin, poor condition and were constantly kept in a stable. Tony says, “The stables these horses were kept in were full of muck and looked like slurry pits with most of the horses suffering from overgrown feet.”
“The owner was struggling to manage with the number of horses. Due to the lack of concern for welfare we removed a number of them, including one called Tantana, to a place of safety. We then had them assessed and once we’d been given the go ahead we moved Tantana to Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset.”
“She has flourished into a lovely mare and is thankfully recovering from her ordeal. If owners are struggling with the amount of work that is required to keep a horse we encourage them to get in touch and ask for our help. The sooner this is done, the better the outcome for the horse.”
When she arrived at World Horse Welfare Tantana was assigned to groom Amy Baynton who would be the sole carer for her while she was at the farm. Amy says, “When Tantana arrived she was extremely malnourished and very weak as she had been kept in a stable her whole life. She had regular physiotherapy appointments to improve her strength and keep her muscles supple. I would put her on the horse walker for two minutes at a time as she couldn’t manage any more than this.“
“When Tantana was brought out of her stable she just stood and lifted her head up to the sky. Everything was new to her so I had to introduce things gradually to ensure she wasn’t overwhelmed by it all. As I started to get to know her I realised that she is very routine orientated and doesn’t like change. Due to this, things have to be done in a certain way, such as putting a lead rope over her neck first before putting the head collar on.“
“It’s been a long journey from when she arrived to where she is now, but she’s flourished into a very pretty mare who, once she’s built up a bond with you, will do anything you ask.”