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Ph: 016-360 9900
Fax: 016-360 9901
P O Box 20, Randvaal, 1873

Editor: Petronella Clark
Contributors: Bev Seabourne & HHCU
Fundraising No. 01 101122 0002

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Our work in townships continues to expand

IT IS WITH SUCCESS that HHCU fieldworkers, Solly Motingoe and Trevor Mosia, have been extending our 'outreach' primary care clinics into areas where there is a high equine population and no other animal welfare coverage. We de-worm, treat harness wounds and sort out harnessing problems using the second hand tack donated by our supporters. We also educate the owners in basic horse care - grooming, treatment of wounds, harness fitting, pasture rotation, etc.

We have been SO busy! And with reward!
Last October, Solly and Trevor, set off for a week's trip to the Free State to assess the problems. They spent time at a number of townships in and around Bloemfontein, Ladybrand and Thabanchu. There was so much work to do! Horses badly needed de-worming, harnesses required repair and replacement. Solly and Trevor provided basic management education which was sorely needed. Happily the owners were willing and interested to learn and were grateful for the help. Our intrepid duo returned home exhausted but exhilarated!



Their efforts were well rewarded. When they revisited in January, the improvement of the horses was enormous and in such a short time.
Talk about job satisfaction - our shares were soaring!!!

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Stallion Attacks Filly Foal

THIS YOUNG FOAL was paralysed and had a deeply infected wound that was invested with flies. Poor little girl - she had been continuously attacked by a stallion as she lay in the veld for two days, Neither the SPCA nor the SAP in the area was able to assist the owner. Unfortunately we could not save her, but were able to put her out of her misery.



There are problems with stallions and although we carry out primary care clinics in this township near Parys, we do not have the funds to geld all the stallions we come across.

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Barbaric attacks on donkeys

WE HAVE RECENTLY rescued two donkeys who had been viciously attacked. Thank goodness they are recovering and doing really well.
A donkey mare who was heavily pregnant was hit on her spine (fortunately not damaging nerves or bone) and her ear which had been slashed by a panga was hanging, partly cut off. We had no choice but to amputate the ear. A few days later we were delighted as she gave birth to a healthy happy colt.


In the second case, a seven month old donkey was attacked on her head, ears and hocks with a garden fork. There were also what appeared to be stab wounds over the rest of her body.
It seems that it was the same people who mutilated both animals. We dearly want to arrest and prosecute these individuals, but residents who witnessed the attacks are afraid of reprisals and will not testify.

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PLEASE think before you give a horse away - it is not always a happy ending!

WE ARE TOLD that ten years ago Ezerek was rescued by an animal welfare organisation in Port Elizabeth and re-homed. So it was all the more pitiful when we found him in this appalling condition in Pretoria North.
We went to confiscate him, only to be advised that he had been given away. So we looked for him, eventually finding him on another plot in equally poor circumstances. The new owner could not keep him and we persuaded him to sign him over to the unit.

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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS WHO SEND US THEIR UNWANTED TACK. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT HELPS!!
If you have any unwanted tack please donate it to us. The main collection points are at GHS (Gauteng Horse Society), Dees Saddlery, Western Shoppe, HI Merwitz and Riders Saddlery.
We depend enormously on donations of second-hand tack for our township clinics.

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OUR NEW WEBSITE

Have you visited our new super website on www.horsecare.org.za ?

There is so much to see and you and your friends can join up and have your say; sign up for this newsletter; comment on articles and on the photos in our gallery.

You can donate online too - and if you can't afford to donate, just sign up as a member and invite all your friends who care about horses to sign up as members too - YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THAT HELPS US!

Persuade your company to buy an advertising banner, they are very reasonably priced, and a wonderful way of advertising!

We thank Meryl from pixelmagic who has donated this site and so much of her time to the HHCU .

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PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WEBSITE ADVERTISERS!