View: News Item: Foreign Legion Found

Posted: 2 May 2012 at 18:39

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For 3 weeks and 3 days we have been searching for Red. 28th March at 2pm I left to collect horse food, when I returned home at 3pm Red was gone. There were 11 horses in the paddock, and out of the 11 the two chestnut eventers were targeted. They didn’t get away with the other horse as he is cheeky and tries to bite when you get on bareback. They cut the fence and headed towards the forest. I quickly phoned stock theft, police and Bruce from the pound. I stopped some cyclists’ who later told me they saw him being ridden by 3 teenage boys heading over the hill to Sweetwaters! Although we all searched, he was nowhere to be seen. On the following Saturday during a huge storm, two old Arab mares (aged 20 and 24) were taken from up the road.

Adriane Ollifier who does dog training for children in Mpophemeni set word out and asked them to be on the lookout for Red and the two ponies. Two boys who have their own ponies at home told us they had seen Red been ridden, but was hidden away during day time. So we gave them binoculars and pictures of the missing horses. On Saturday 14th the old mares were found in Mpophemeni, no arrests were made as the boys that had them said the just found them wondering around on the side of the road....

On Saturday 21st I got a call from Billy, “Claire I’v got your horse, come to Mpophemeni now, and be prepared he doesn’t look so good and can’t walk”

So with a heavy heart and hope we met Billy on the road where we found the mares. We jumped into Billy’s 4x4 and went where no horsebox could ever get to. Red was tethered to a barbwire fence grazing, gave me a little nicker “oh hello”. Because he was in a property and he is branded, the guy was arrested. The police had already taken him in by the time we arrived. Red had lost a lot of condition, covered in ticks, dry sweat and was dehydrated. He could not walk as his feet and back are finished. Billy said to us “if I say run, you drop everything leave the horse and run, the gang might be on the way and the police left us alone to deal with Red”  After what felt like forever,  a boy jumped onto his bush pony, gave Red a smack on the bum with a shambuck and Red moved forward. He joined up with the pony; he put his head on the ponies back and bum and wobbled down the stony cliff. I don’t know how he didn’t fall over. Red didn’t stop and wobbled strait into the horsebox!

Jenny from Bosh Hoek vets came straight away. She gave him Bute, Vitamins, antibiotics and is treating him for laminitis. His feet are being iced and iv been lent a Beemer. Wayne our farrier is going to pad his feet up when Red feels a bit stronger. At the moment he is very happy to be home and is snug in his stable.

I just want to say a very big thank you to Billy from stock theft who responded his own honeymoon until Red was found. Bruce from the pound, Adriane Ollifier, Bosh Hoek, the boys who were spotting, mum and Gareth! I really Didn’t think I’d ever see him again. Without all the help, i don’t think we would have! Thank you to everybody that helped us and all preys, they certainly came through.

Thank you
Claire

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