Arab Horses Neglected in Abertridwr, Caerphilly

21/10/2022

Look who has been back to say hello! Mr Funny Feet man.
But this time, guess who had his hind toes trimmed

17/10/2022

Where are our days going?! We run out of hours each day, especially daylight 😔.
Apologies for no updates for a while but here is a little video of Desert Miracle's bum. Or rather, lack of it and with awful rain scald.

It's rainscald upon rainscald upon rainscald over months without treatment or even just prevention 🤬
This is a very slow process because as you can see, if the scabs/tufts come off, they have pus and raw skin under them!
If it were just a few scabs, they could be eased off, but can you imagine what would happen if we removed ALL these scabs?? 😳
Des would have one huge, red raw, exposed section that would be prone to further infection. Which of course in his weakened state would be even more detrimental to him.

So instead, we have to keep washing and soaking and trying to remove all the dirt, scabs and hair little by little over many weeks.
Des is being a super patient! He stands patiently letting you do pretty much whatever you want to him!
There is no excuse for how this was allowed to happen repeatedly over the years. It's not a case of a few weeks or even months of neglect, it's a few years at the very least 🤬
And it would and could have been so easily avoided which makes it all the more difficult to bear.

He has put some weight on, which again is an exceptionally slow process, but he has a good appetite for his high fibre and oil bucket feeds, adlib hay and grass.

His mud fever is also a long slow process but the scabs are also coming off very slowly and easing the pain when he walks around. It had been so bad he developed lymphangitis from standing around but he has a little more movement now to walk around for grass.

To confirm, we have NOT heard directly from either WHW, Jayne and Kelvin Watkins, the 'rescue', BHS or any other agency or society to discuss this neglect. If anyone has any information as to how WHW and BHS allowed so many horses to be neglected over so many years owned by the Watkins, we would love to know! They have failed the horses in more ways than one.

26/09/2022

We promised we would keep you guys updated on what we are doing with each horse, what treatments they receive, what it costs us, what donations go towards etc.
As of yet, your amazingly kind donations are sitting in the donation account, and we have not spent 1p of it. We have winter coming, more veterinary treatments, increased hay and feed, and that's without any emergencies we may have in the meantime, so its very comforting to know we have a little pot we can use when we need it.
You wonderful kind people have given us this security and we all thank you

26/09/2022

25/09/2022

Worm Egg Count Update - We, well my foster mum!, are in complete shock. My count come back as under 60epg! YAY We can rule worms out of contributing to my emaciated body!
My foster mum was dreading the reading coming back as she thought it was going to be really high and I may need a lot of repeat worming, but I don't!
I don't even need one worming as its such a low count. But my mum said not all eggs and worms can be discovered in my poo test, so I will need some worming soon, I just don't have to panic to have it done straight away and I can wait until I have put more weight on

25/09/2022

Our stables - all closed up and feet deep full of old poo so we couldn't use them at all, in summer to get away from the heat and flies, or the winter cold or the rain.
Between the start and end of the week abandonment notice, the rugs you can see in one stable (we were wearing those in the heatwave to hide our bones) were removed!
Couple of photos are blurry, sorry, but you can still see the mess and poo.
A stark difference to the stallion stables :'(

Now we have lovely dry stables with rubber mats and bedding, that we can use as much or as little as we choose

24/09/2022

We had a funny foot man come visit us a couple of days ago. He really wanted to see what our feet were like - is that a foot fettish? My foster mum said he was going to make me and Tom a lot more comfortable.
It took quite a while to do my feet. I had to stop and rest because I was so wobbly. I only just had enough strength to stand to have my front toes trimmed. Mr Farrier was so very patient with me and letting me put my feet down often so I could have a rest.
He tried to do my back feet but I wasn't able to stand and support myself any longer. He said he has to come back in a few weeks time and hopefully I will be stronger and I can stand and hold myself up for a bit longer and he can do all 4 of my feet.
He seen I had a hole from an old abscess that had burst out of my coronet band a few months ago. That was so very painful and I was hopping for a while until that burst on its own.

Tom also had his feet done. he was doing really well until Mr Farrier started to do his back feet. Ohhhhh he was so naughty! Bad Tom! He kept trying to kick our lovely foot man because he didn't want his done. But Mr Farrier is big and strong, and he said he has come across these naughty little ponies far too many times and he laughed at Tom! Tom finally realised he wasn't going to beat Mr Farrier, so he finally gave up the fight! And now he has a lovely set of 4 neatly trimmed toes .

Mr Farrier is coming back to see us in a few weeks time and I cant wait to see what naughty Tom tries next :D

24/09/2022

SATURDAY! My foster mum has a 'day off' so she can get on Facebook! So lots of updates from our last week in our foster home to come and lots of messages/notifications for her to work through.
But a little update about me Des .............. I have continued to put weight on in a controlled feeding plan and I hope you can see the small difference in my body. I am still skinny, I am still body score 1 (out of 9) and will be for another few weeks but I am improving thanks to some feed, grass and hay!
My foster mum said my skin felt like tissue paper, and she could feel all the bones in my neck as if they didn't have any skin covering them, especially where the vet found my enlarged vertebrae where I have arthritis. But now she says the bones no longer feel so sharp under my skin because my skin is getting more coverage.
Photos of 05.09.22 and 22.09.22

I have had 3 small baths! Wow they feel so nice. I have to have smaller baths because I cant risk getting cold and a chill, so my foster mum is doing sections of me every few days. Its going to take quite a lot more baths to get all the grit and grime out of my coat and remove the tufts of rainscald. She said its my spa treatment.
Photo's show before and after on each half of my back, after first bath.

I will share more photos and updates later

20/09/2022

*UPDATE* Long post!
1. The horses are now one week into their new foster homes. They have really settled in very well. They have wonderful natures and each of their characters are developing which is beautiful to see.
When you rehabilitate an underweight/emaciated horse, the progress is very slow. Sometimes you don't think they have put any weight on, but they have, internally. Sometimes you don't think you will ever get to the end of the road with them, but you will. It just takes such a long time.
Unlike healthy horses, these horses cannot have 'normal' levels of feed in a meal. They have to have small meals several times a day. It is the only way to ensure they put on weight slowly. If they were to eat a normal size bucket feed, it could cause them to go into shock and get colic. Colic in healthy horses is high risk and can be fatal, so in horses in this condition it would be extremely dangerous, so we do not take this risk. This is why weight gain takes so long.
When you first see one of the horses literally wobbling towards you on day 1-
to then trotting a few strides to you on day 4-
to constantly whickering at your shoulder telling you to hurry up and mix the feed faster on day 6, you know you are winning.

19/09/2022

Through the network of Facebook, we have finally found the names of the two in our saved herd that we had no information on.

We have also found out details of 2 other Arabs that were owned and sadly lost their lives, as well as a connection to one of the horses we saved.
(Explains why he was the only one Jayne asked to have back!)

19/09/2022

We have been inundated with messages, information, offers of help and so much support, thank you.
Please do not think we are ignoring you, we are trying to reply as fast as possible to everyone, but it's difficult keeping up with so many of you. Back to work tomorrow, so we will be even slower

19/09/2022

We are open and willing to share all sides of this story, including the persons who were the 'owners' at the time of the neglect.
This is from Jayne Watkins to the Arab Horses in Wales group.
We are pleased to add Kelvin was found safe last night

18/09/2022

We have been asked if we are a registered rescue / charity.

We are neither, we set this page up to expose the reality of the situation of these horses and to update their progress in their foster home while they recover.
3 x Arabs and 1 x Welsh sec A pony.
We, as individuals, only came together less than 14 days ago, joined through contacts within the Arab horse world.

The land owner had been trying very patiently and amicably to resolve issues with the owners, for over 18 months! The horses have never been in great condition over the years, but the last 18 months things have rapidly declined.
Through his (not a horse man) desperation to stop any more horses dying on his land, he reached out to local horse owners for help.
The police were notified, the council were notified, the British Horse Society was contacted for advice and World Horse Welfare attended in summer with improvement notices given. They were ignored by Jayne and Kelvin and the horses declined rapidly.
The police, council, British horse society and World horse welfare were fully aware of the neglect and the abandonment notice being served by the land owner, as too were the owners.

This was a legal process which had to take place and it was served correctly but all parties involved. The owners even contacted WHW but they did nothing to help the horses or remove them at the end of the generous notice period, long than was legally required.

We do not need to be a registered charity or registered rescue to save these horses. We are horse lovers first and foremost. We could not stand by and let these horses perish and die.

Lets not forget, it was a registered rescue/charity who placed Desert Miracle himself with Jayne Watkins. That 'rescue' failed to do any spot checks or follow up visits on him to inspect either his condition or the conditions he was living in.
This is most certainly NOT the case with us.
The horses are with very knowledgeable and experienced foster people who are trying their best to ensure they recover and go on to live much longer, safer and happier lives than they would have done still in the field with Jayne and Kelvin.

All funds have come out of our own pockets. Desert Miracle alone had over £500 spent on him within the first 24 hours. And he is going to need a lot more veterinary treatment and support to ensure his needs are met in the very near future when he is strong enough to withstand veterinary procedures.
The other horses have also started their journey on the road to recovery, their safe at a livery yard, eating grass, hay and feed, and their dentist is coming next week. All of this is being paid for by their foster homes.

Any donations of rugs or feed or veterinary costs would of course be extremely gratefully received, we would love any help possible, But we are not going to refuse to buy or treat the horses if we don't have any donations. This is our responsibility to care for them as if they are our own horses and as such we are undertaking all the costs incurred.

Ie: Not one of them has a microchip. This has been a legal UK requirement for ALL horses and ponies since 2018! They had 4 YEARS to get the horses chipped, but they didn't. It would have cost just £140 for 4.
From the government website: "The Central Equine Database logs all domesticated horses, including those required to be microchipped by October 2020. This will offer a practical solution to the pressing animal welfare issues which arise when horses are abandoned, making it easier to rehome the animals more quickly and effectively and has been welcomed by charities.
We are working closely with vets and the British Horse Council to highlight the change in regulations, explaining that horse owners have until October 2020 to make sure that all horses are microchipped. This extra time will allow horse owners to combine microchipping with a routine visit to, or from, their vet."

We have started a long and costly road to recovery, but the horses are safe and being cared for, which is the most important point.

17/09/2022

This is Pizazz 'Jack', who is 18 years old, by Sorrento. Bodyscore 2.
He was owned by Jayne and Kelvin Watkins for 14 years. Jayne used to compete him quite successfully.

And the Arab mare who we are hearing is by Applauze. Bodyscore 3.
More information to follow as soon as we know more.

Please note the photos really do not show how bad these horses are in the flesh (or lack of!).

17/09/2022

17/09/2022

I AM a beautiful grey Arabian, called Desert Miracle, but I do not look how I should today.
For 8 years, I have been owned by two people, Jayne Watkins & Kelvin Watkins in Abertridwr, Caerphilly.
But they forgot about me and my 3 field mates, despite living just a few minutes drive away from their home. They dumped us in a field and 'forgot' about the 4 of us.
THEY didn't feed us. THEY didn't water us. THEY didn't get the vet to treat our wounds or vaccinate us. THEY didn't get the farrier to keep our feet free from pain. THEY put rugs on us to hide our skinny bones, but left them on us even when the weather reached over 30 degrees for weeks.
THEY also forgot to pay the rent to the lovely landowner, (who's not a horse person) . He kept us safe in his field, and alive.
If he hadn't been providing water in the heatwave, or hay last winter, we would have died.

If we were left on the field this winter, we would have died.
If some girls walking past hadn't taken our rugs off in the summer, we would have died.

World Horse Welfare visited this summer, but told Jayne and Kelvin that they were coming in advance. When they visited they told Jayne and Kelvin they had to make improvements.
We didn't see the WHW welfare officer again.
For the first time in a long time, Jayne / Kelvin suddenly appeared with some bags of chaff. Chaff is just chopped straw/grass with zero nutritional value, they fed us a few little piles for a couple of days. Then they stopped. We never had any food off them again.

With such a long dry summer, what little grass we had we ate, and no more grass grew for months and months. We had to eat peashooters and weeds to survive. We were all still starving to death. We couldn't last much longer.
Our stables were all closed up so we couldn't use them to get out of the scorching heat all summer.
We couldn't use them last winter either, so we were freezing without any shelter and rugs to protect us.
The stables are full of very, very old manure, some of it was 2-3 feet deep! Some are empty and others had equipment in. But none were for us, we were not allowed to use them.

Despite messaging the owners regularly (the phone history of calls and texts prove this) the landowner was mostly ignored all year, or he was lied to, or given pathetic excuses why they neglected us and why they hadn't paid months and months of rent. Mostly they just ignored him as much as they ignored us.

Out of desperation a couple of weeks ago, because he was so scared we were going to drop down dead, the landowner managed to get help. Some knowledgeable local horse owners, together with legal welfare advice and the police, he was forced to issue posters of ABANDONMENT! We were officially classed as abandoned, no-one wanted us.

Suddenly WHW got in touch and said she knew about the Abandonment notice because Jane / Kelvin got in touch with her! They had seen the notice that had gone up on 6th September 2022.
For 2 mornings one/both of them visited us, give us some carrots but they didn't go to see the landowner or even message him.

The abandonment notice ended on Tuesday 13 September 2022, at 10am. We were now owner less and home less, but worse, we were emaciated and starving.

The horsey world is full of connections, and because I was a very well bred Arab, people found out about me, including my breeders.
A small team of friends come together to help rescue and save the 4 of us from being euthanised - put down!

Quite ironically, at the exact time that we were being rescued, Jayne Watkins was on Facebook. Not asking for help for us, oh no, but to share news about her stallion. Oh yes, not only did she own us 4, but she owns another horse, a Cremello stallion called Sameon Silver Satyr. What a fancy name he has. How scary is it to think that there could be another emaciated horse owned by Jayne and Kelvin! :o
However, 'Freddie' is not emaciated, far from it. He is fat and well rounded. He has several lush new stables, all to himself. He has 4+ acres of lush grazing over 2 fields, all to himself. He has a rug on to keep him clean. And guess where he lives? Less than 10 minutes drive away from their home.
Jayne and Kelvin drive past our field at least twice a day, to go visit 'Freddie' .......... but they couldn't stop to check or feed us?!

On Tuesday 13th September, as soon as I arrived with my foster mum, the vet came to meet me for the first time. She told my mum that my bodyscore was 1, that's good right? No!
On a score chart of 1-9, with 9 being the fattest and 1 being the skinniest. I scored 1. I am emaciated. There is nothing less than 1, just dead.

My field mates scores are slightly higher, maybe because they are younger, but their scores are not good: approx 2.
The only one who scored decent 5, is our little Welsh Section A who is bred to live off fresh air on a Welsh Mountain.

All our feet are in poor condition, long and chipped, splayed and weak. We haven't seen a farrier for a very long time. But hopefully we will all be able to walk with more comfort after a few visits.

None of us have had any worming treatments.
None of us have seen a dentist or vet in years.

So we have all been in our foster homes for a few days, we are eating grass, hay and small little feeds so we don't shock our bodies too much, too soon. It could kill us to eat too much too soon, but we are all feeling a little brighter.

What about Jayne and Kelvin? Well, they finally realised we were no longer in the field on Friday, 3 days AFTER our rescue. 3 days!
Were they on holiday? Were they in hospital? Were they at a show? Had something bad happened to them? I don't know, but Jayne had been posting on her Facebook, so she wasn't complete incapacitated. Oh wait, she was posting about Sameon, the newest favourite!

On Friday, Kelvin finally got in touch with the land owner asking where we 4 horses were. 3 days later!
Where are we? But no, he didn't really want to know where all 4 of us were. He only really wanted to know where my 'brother' Pizazz was.
It turns out one he is also well known, another pure bred Arab! Check us out, we were both famous, once upon a time! I guess he was Jayne's most recent favourite out of the 4 of us, but even that was still not enough to care and look after him. He was also starving to death, just like me and the others.
Luckily the wonderful land owner refused to tell Kelvin where we were, because we were skeletons, because they were slowly killing us through starvation.
So now we know we can stay safe and having care away from Jayne and Kelvin Watkins.

BUT.... it seems that I, Desert Miracle, was not only let down by Jayne and Kelvin.
I was also let down by someone running a so called horse rescue / sanctuary? How can that happen? You go to a horse rescue to make sure you don't get neglected, right? Well, that's what my foster mum told me.
Rescues place you in homes that have been assessed and are suitable for you. Rescues always keep up to date with you and how you are. Rescues come visit and see your OK. Rescue will always have your back for the rest of your life, no matter how long you stay with your adopted home.
But that didn't happen to me. My 'rescue' has never come to see me. My 'rescue' didn't even bother to get recent updates or photos of me. My 'rescue' abandoned me. My 'rescue' did not have my back.
The rescue took an adoption fee for me! So she would have had her travel costs covered to come visit me many times. She wasn't going to be out of pocket. And she didn't even live that far away, only a bit further to West Wales.

So why did my 'rescue' let me down, as well as Jayne and Kelvin? She could have prevented this, but she failed me and let me suffer.

So a little update about us. We have all settled into our new foster homes. We have all been eating grass (real proper grass, not peashooters and weeds). We have been in fields away from machinery and wire. We have started the very long, slow and expensive process of becoming fit, well and healthy again. Hopefully the neglect has not caused detrimental damage to us and we will all recover, but this is not guaranteed.

So a little bit about my last few days.
When I arrived at my new foster mum's home, I was met straight away by the vet because I was in such a bad way.
Mrs Vet had to give me a scary needle but I stood like a professional, like I was taught for the show ring, but I didn't have any energy to fight or move around. I acted like I didn't even feel the needle going in. Then I felt very, very sleepy and started dozing, I started to wobble but my foster mum held my head up while the vet did her examination of me. My heart and lungs sounded good and my temperature was OK.
But then she looked in my mouth...... it was awful. She said she couldn't believe there were no cuts or holes or ulcers in there. But I did have a lot of scar tissue where there had been so many in the past. These had healed giving my cheeks a little protection of scar tissue from my nasty teeth. My teeth had very sharp points sticking out into my cheeks like lots of daggers. I have fractured teeth. I had lots of grass and matter all clumped around my teeth that had to be cleaned away. Even I could smell them when they were removed and I was sleeping. My gums were bleeding and very sore. But Mrs Vet said it would all feel better very soon. I hope so! She also said I needed a lot more appointments to get my teeth into better shape because they are so bad and they haven't been done for such a long time. I don't mind if she makes me sleepy again so it doesn't hurt.

Mrs Vet also took some of my poo! Strange woman wanting my waste, but she must know her stuff being vet? She wants to see what worms I have??? Worms in my poo?? Why would I have worms in my poo?? Because I haven't had any worm prevention medication after being neglected for such a long time, she said I've probably got a worm infestation in my belly!! Yuck!! if I received worming a couple of times a year then I wouldn't be at such high risk. They only cost £8!
I am now day 4 into my new, safe life.
I have set up this page so you can follow our progress.
I hope I will look as beautiful as I once did in the show ring, but my foster mum says I look beautiful today and every day, in her eyes.
Its going to be a very long and expensive time with lots of my needs and care being met by my foster mum but I am determined to get there, We all are.

Thank you for reading about me, Pizazz and our friends, please keep following our page for more updates as we continue our recovery.
We will share photos of our past when we were younger, photos of us in show condition, photos of when we were favourite's of Jayne, photos of what we now look like after being neglected by them for so long, and photos as we progress in our new safe lives through our rehabilitation.

Our needs are expensive, already several hundred for myself alone, so any donations of rugs, or contribution towards vet or care costs would be extremely gratefully received.