‘Poldark ponies’ rescued from Bodmin Moor

Two ponies along with a foal, just a few days old, have been rescued from Bodmin Moor after they were abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

Dire state

A dark bay stallion was found in the Craddock Moor area in a “dire state”, with a body condition score of just 0.5. The vet who authorised the ponies’ removal, said he would have died without immediate help.

The mare and her foal, who is thought to be between seven and ten days old, were found in the Pensilva area. The mother was also in very poor condition with a body score of one.

The rescue was led by Julie Dowton, secretary to the Bodmin Moor Commoners and the Association of Bodmin Moor Commons Landowners. All three ponies have been moved to a nearby yard where they are receiving urgent care.

The ponies been named after characters from the seriesPoldark, as they were rescued from the same area where parts of the BBC serieswas filmed.

Battle scars

The stallion (above) is called Ross Poldark, the mare is Demelza after the character’s of wife, and the foal is Julia after Demelza’s baby daughter.

“Just like the ‘real’ Poldark, our little pony Ross bears the scars of battle,” said Julie.”Demelza in the series is a scrawny little thing who is totally unloved until help comes along, what else could we call her?”

“It was an extremely tough few days but we are so pleased that this story has a happy ending. Big thanks to Lorna Stevenson, veterinary officer, for all her hard work, to the Pooley family who have offered to house these poor ponies, and to Redwings for their financial support to help us get these ponies away from danger.”

Improving welfare

This isn’t the first time Redwings has been called on to help rescue ponies on Bodmin. It was involved in the rescue of 19 ponies from the moor who been abandoned and were in a “terrible state”.

The charity has been in talks with DEFRA about setting up a Bodmin Moor Commons Council, which it hopes will improves welfare standards. The results of the consultation will be released in a few weeks.

“We believe an established council made up of representatives from the commoners, local vets and other interested parties who have the authority to take action on issues like these, could make a real and lasting difference to the welfare of the ponies on Bodmin,” said Redwings head of welfare and behaviour Nic de Brauwere.