Chyna is a sturdy cob. Glossy coat and a lovely face. Chyna competes regularly and already is starting to get rosettes.
However, this is a far cry from how she started her life.
Chyna was born in a field called the killing field because it was so well-known for the horrendous amount of neglected ponies dumped there says Rebecca a trustee at the Charity SAFE which rescues abandoned horses.
Her mother was abandoned along with many other horses, but Chyna’s mother was pregnant.
A group of people decided to feed the horses and look after them. There were over 40 horses in the field and so it was a big team effort.
However, the horses were ill and started dying the people feeding them realised more needed to be done. This was the foundation of SAFE, a charity dedicated to rescuing horses. SAFE was started at the tailend of 2014. They tried to rescue as many as they could, but not all horses survived and over 15 horses had to be put down, because they were too ill.
Michelle and Nicola, two of the people who had been feeding the horses, had a special bond with Chyna right from the moment that they met and so they decided to rescue Chyna. Chyna came over happily to them, but would not get in the horse box after a lot of attempts she finally gave in.
Chyna was in a sorry state she was full of worms she had to go through so many treatments and injections, she had practically every kind of worm there was in her, her stomach was full of them. She was very thin and shaggy and coated in mud but she pulled through.
Nicola decided to rest Chyna as Chyna was still a baby and weak. Chyna is a brown cob with a white blaze running down her face she is a very cheeky looking pony, but has an unbelievable amount of trust and love in her.
She is an amazing pony to have pulled through that time when so many other horses didn’t. Even after the horses had been rescued some died.
After a few years, Nicola wanted to have Chyna ridden and so organised a rider for her. Chyna began by doing poles and flat work but after six months she was jumping over courses of eight jumps at 60cm and at nine months she began going to competitions. She has already come third at T and P equestrian and a team fourth for the Wokingham pony club.
Chyna loves competing especially at T and P the atmosphere is great and the courses are brilliant.
Everything is very easy and it’s great for everyone from a first show to a 50th. Chyna clears her courses hardly touching a pole going round with ease and sometimes getting into the rosettes.
She looks happy and healthy.
However, there are still so many horses abandoned today all over the UK and SAFE helps to save abandoned fly-grazing horses in the Berkshire area. Fly grazed means that the horses are illegally dumped on other people’s land, public land or council land.
People abandon their horses because of numerous reasons, but Rebecca at SAFE, said that some of the reasons were: “Horses who can’t breed for whatever reason; if they don’t look good enough to sell; if they are injured and the owner doesn’t want to pay the vet bill.”
Rebecca also said, “All Charities are being called out constantly” and “the situation has got worse”.
SAFE rehabilitates abandoned horses and if they are lucky enough rehomes them.
If you would like to help SAFE look at SAFE’s social media and share photos to make others more aware or donate money to SAFE the money will really help SAFE provide food and shelter for their horses.
Website: www.safe-horses.org.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SavingAbandonedFlyGrazingEquines/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SAFE_Horses
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