Homes needed for semi wild ponies...

[My_mini_Trudi]

Hi All,

I board at a hobby farm. I first saw it driving by and said, WOW they have a lot of ponies there.

Turns out, the person who lives there rents, and met a guy who has about 20 or more head of wild/semi wild ponies. He needed a place to keep them and was willing to provide feed. So the person who rents, said, bring them on over...

The pony owner, breeds ponies and mules. He does a wagon train and also had some larger horses, and mustangs. He buys hay and the renter feeds them and waters them.

This started two years ago

. Now the county and the city want most of them GONE.

The pony owner does not have property that is fenced or safe to take the ponies.

He has his mules at his son's, but comes to the hobby farm to get water.

Most of the ponies are larger welsh types. They are extremely skittish around people unless you have a bucket of grain. The renter and his family have bought a few of the ponies from him, due to the owner owing for feed, or the family just falling in love with the ponies.

Most are mares and but he has 1 gelding ( mustang), 1 pony mule colt, and two donkeys (very sweet).

The renter has 1 shetland pony mare seperated, but there is a gorgeous grey shetland/welsh type with the herd, she is small though.

The renter has seperated out three pony mares that are due in the next month or so, and has them stalled or runs them out to a paddock during the day.

You cannot touch these mares. They freak and run. As if a herd of mustangs, got shrunk.

The mares were bred to a 3 yr old black and white pinto colt that was brought up by the owner. The three smaller mares were bred to a black and white shetland stud.

My question is, A: how can we catch these guys? B: What would the price be on them? and C: Who would want them?

And for other information, they do not Coggins, which is required by law to sell in the state of Wisconsin. Nor have they had shots, if ever, Nor are they utd on any shots or worming.

The rare exception is, a mustang mare that is owned by the family, a pony mare owned by the family and now 1 pony mare and 2 mustangs just bought by a lady.

All in all, there are over 30 horses/ponies on 10 acres.

And they need to have them out of there. But the owner of the ponies thinks he will get something for them.....

Sigh.

HELP!!!

Carol

 

[Lewella]

Don't know that to tell you Carol..... what an awful situation. If they are that skittish catching them is going to be dangerous for both them and any people envolved. I'm not sure who would want unhandled ponies either....... If there are any Amish in the area they might have some tricks for catching them. Hope something can be done!

 

[2 C L Ranch]

Try talking to a local equine/livestock organization. They generally have alot of horse experienced volunteers who donate their time to help owner/horse (s) in need.

I can't help with pricing because I don't know how much the local auction in your area pays for ponies and you want to make them affordable but safe over a meat buyer.

Maybe he'll part with some of the mares for sponsers to take and work with?

 

[USMCshamusmom]

I have been involved in a few rescue organizations over the years on many levels. You need to check the state Dept Ag website and see what the state's rules are for transporting horses without coggins/health papers, etc.. If they can be transported, try to find a local rescue outfit or a boarding stable or someone with an indoor arena or feedlot that you could use as a temporary base. People are amazingly generous if they feel they can help critters such as these.

If you can have them transported it would be easiest to get a group of horse savvy folks together and drive the ponies into a smaller pen or corral, or even a barn type building. The smaller pen makes it easier to control the crowd. You will need to have some help to herd them all in... putting grain in the pen where you want them to go can help get them willing to go in, especially if you make no attempt at first to drive them in and allow them to explore on their own for a day or two so the fear of closed areas is not as great. But of course sometimes circumstances don't allow that. The larger vehicle you can haul them with, the better, and chutes can be built to help herd them onto the trailers. Livestock trailers work better than horse trailers for untrained horses of any size. We stacked bales of straw one time and used that as a chute, they appear solid to the animals and if you don't stampede them, they don't challenge the "wall" . we have also used cattle panels set with T posts... whatever you can think of that would be safest! (and of course safety for the people involved first!) People holding bedsheets at each corner and walking towards the animals make it look like moving walls. (hold the sheets vertically of course... and you need to use people who are horse savvy enough to know when to slow down and keep the horses from panic. One horse gets goofy and "runs through", others are sure to follow. Better to go slower so they don't get in "run away" mode to start with.

You may need to get a rescue group involved if funds can't be raised independently for getting shots/coggins and health papers on the critters should they have to stay on the farm till this is taken care of legally. There is a group in Illinois, HARPS which has long experience in doing rescues and would have the resources available to help if needed.

 

[USMCshamusmom]

I'm interested in hearing an update on what happened here! thanks.

 

[Secret Hills Ranch]

Try taking pics of the herd and making a nice little flyer. I know some people actually enjoy coming to see herds like that and picking a horse and having years of fun, fun training ahead of them... lol I think if you advertise right and a lot of different places, you could probably pull it off.

Good luck!!!