Sunny is a colt foal who came into Hope Pastures in December 2022.
He is a lovable and friendly foal, who we decided to offer a space to secure his future.
Sunny was a loved foal by the gamily who signed him over to us, but he was an unexpected arrival after they had bought a small Cob mare for a young child.
As he grew bigger and older, he began to become playful and boisterous. Being wintertime, his livery yard had minimal turnout options, and he was turned out with his mum for 30 minutes twice per day, in which time he would gallop around at full speed to let off some energy. The rest of the time was spent stabled with his mum and no other foals to play with.
Naturally, young foals would thrive in a herd environment, spending time with a group of other horses, learning manners and boundaries from some adult horses and playing rough with other foals in preparation for survival behaviours when they are older. Ideally, lots of space and social stimulation would be available to meet behavioural needs.
Without this option, some foals can become bored and frustrated. Sunny had begun to rear, jump and spin around when anyone entered the stable. He also stressed his mum out by jumping all over her and not letting her relax.
The family had become quite afraid of Sunny and, after asking around, were planning to sell him. However, this took some time, and they were increasingly worried about his future, so they contacted our team at Hope Pastures.
We already had two similar-aged Colt foals, Badger and Bear, so we decided we could also offer Sunny a place here. Having been abandoned, Badger and Bear were withdrawn and very wary of humans. As Sunny’s future was not looking too secure in terms of finding a knowledgeable home with other foals and the experience needed, it seemed a perfect time to offer the little fellow a safety net.
Sunny settled in Hope Pastures quickly, bonding well with Badger and Bear, helping them learn to trust people, interact with play behaviours, and release some energy.
He is a big fan of scratches, and this has been a good way to train him and gain his confidence with handling and basic procedures.
He is now happy to be groomed and have his hooves cleaned out, and he overcame his fear of vets, having his vaccinations and microchip done within a few weeks of arrival.
With the help of sponsors like British Horse Feeds and donations from the public, Hope Pastures are able to help support the future of foals, ponies, horses and donkeys like Sunny, Badger and Bear. If you feel you are able to contribute to Sunny’s costs, which include feed, enrichment, the vet, the farrier and physio, then you can do so via our donate link here
You can donate via Paypal or a Debit or Credit card.
Thank you.
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