Posted: 17th January 2018 | Back to news feed
Alltech Helps Support Xena and Her Unborn Foal
Leading animal nutrition company, Alltech, is to continue its support of World Horse Welfare by helping to fund the rehabilitation of an in-foal mare at Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk.
Xena arrived at Hall Farm in June 2017 as part of a large welfare case. A World Horse Welfare Field Officer attended a site to find a group of horses that had been seriously neglected. Due to the fact that the horses were largely un-handled, the Field Officer found it particularly difficult to access them to address their welfare.
After the owner admitted neglect and acknowledged that they were unable to care for the horses, they were signed over to World Horse Welfare and working in partnership with a number of other welfare organisations, the horses were rounded up and transported to safety.
In total, 11 horses, including Xena, were transported to World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre.
During her arrival assessment Xena, who is believed to be a Percheron x Thoroughbred, was found to be in-foal. A rough estimate puts her height at 16hh but as she is too afraid of the height stick, this has yet to be verified.
In the time that Xena has been in the care of World Horse Welfare her confidence has grown tremendously, thanks to the centre’s grooms who work tirelessly to ensure that horses like Xena can once again place their trust in humans.
Despite being unhandled before she arrived at the centre, Xena can now be caught in the field and is safe to lead, and she is happy to have her feet picked out, which is a significant step forward considering all the horses in this case had not seen a farrier for some time.
Groom, Amy Gedge, said: “Xena is a friendly, kind-natured horse who loves people. You wouldn’t think she was feral not so long ago. She is definitely top of the pecking order in her group of friends and she is not afraid to let them know it!
“Xena is a gentle giant who tries her hardest when asked to do anything new and we hope her foal will be as lovely as she is.”
In providing support for Xena, Allech also hopes to highlight World Horse Welfare’s ‘Need to Breed’ campaign. The campaign was launched to spread the word about the impact that breeding just one foal can have; with the sad reality that there are now more horses in the UK than there are good homes.
Whilst breeding a foal may seem appealing, it can sometimes be difficult to justify bringing yet another horse into an already crowded country, particularly when no one can genuinely guarantee a horse a secure home for life.
Alltech’s UK Marketing Manager, Isla Baker-Browne said: “Alltech’s continued support of World Horse Welfare reflects our passion for supporting the health and wellbeing of all horses. The supplements in the Lifeforce Range contain some of the most cutting edge ingredients available but we recognise that not all horses and ponies have the luxury of good nutrition.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer assistance to Xena, while helping to raise awareness of the fantastic work done by World Horse Welfare and we eagerly await the birth of her foal. We look forward to following their progress.”
The Lifeforce Range of all-natural, daily digestive aid supplements from Alltech is designed to benefit horses of every stage of life, from breeding stock to pleasure and performance animals.
For further information please visit www.lifeforcehorse.co.uk or telephone 01780 764512.
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