Abandoned Pony Thrives Under Care of Bedfordshire Student

14 September 2011

Abandoned pony Bess is coming on in "leaps and bounds" under the care of Wilstead resident Katy Izzard, 21, after the pony was rehomed by Buckinghamshire charity The Horse Trust last year.

The Horse Trust, which runs a sanctuary for rescued and retired working horses in Speen, Buckinghamshire, took in 12hh black mare Bess on Boxing Day 2009 when she was found abandoned in a snow-covered field. After doing initial rehabilitation work with Bess, staff at the charity started looking for a new home for her.

University of Bedfordshire student Katy decided to offer Bess a home last July as she was looking for a companion for her horse Storm. She said that Bess has flourished over the last year.

"Its been really rewarding to see Bess grow in confidence and become more affectionate," said Katy. "When I initially took her in, she would stay where she was when I came into the field. Now she always comes up to me and likes having a cuddle. I have to warn people not to wear nice clothes when they visit as Bess now likes to rub against people!"

Bess has also developed a firm friendship with Katy's gelding Storm, which is helping Katy train Bess to cope better with being stabled.

"Bess and Storm are inseparable - they go mad if they're not with each other," said Katy. "When the farrier was doing Storm's feet recently, Bess tried to come into the stable so she wouldn't be separated from him."

"I'm trying to get her used to being stabled now, in case we get another cold winter like last year. She's coming in for half an hour at a time to get her used to it. Her stable is next door to Storm's and there's a partition where they can see each other. If Storm is already in his stable, then she's happy to stay in her stable much longer," said Katy.

Liane Crowther, Training Manager at The Horse Trust, who manages the charity's rehoming scheme, said one of the charity's grooms had visited Bess a couple of months ago and had seen first hand how well she was getting on.

"We are so pleased to hear about the progress Bess has made," said Liane. "It sounds like Katy has put a lot of time and effort into helping Bess overcome some of the fears she has, and that she is coming on in leaps and bounds. We look forward to hearing more updates in the future."

To find out more about The Horse Trust's rehoming scheme, or to support it by making a donation, contact The Horse Trust on 01494 488 464 or info@horsetrust.org.uk