‘Discarded’ and in danger: four stallions found running loose by main road

Four “discarded” stallions who were running loose for a fortnight by a main road have been rescued – and given names befitting their experience.

The Lluest Horse and Pony Trust has taken in the group and named them all after Lord of the Rings characters, “in honour of their adventures”.

A spokesman for the charity said the stallions’ journey began by the A48 between Pyle and Margam, “where they had been running loose, lost and alone, for nearly two weeks; a danger to themselves and to the users of the road”.

“Recognising the peril they faced and the potential danger they posed, the local authority intervened and put a stop to their adventures,” the spokesman said. “Following exhaustive efforts to locate their owner, nobody stepped forward to claim them. All four were found to be entire males and none were microchipped.

“So, with nowhere else to go, these four adventurers headed to the Lluest Horse and Pony Trust, where they will eventually be integrated in the trust’s herds while loving guardian homes are found for them.”

The stallions have been named Frodo, Baggins, Gandalf and Samwise. Frodo had a headcollar on and is happy to be handled, the spokesman said, but cobs Gandalf and Samwise are more nervous of people.

“These two still cannot be touched as they are far too fearful, but they are gradually growing in confidence under the expert care of Lluest’s team,” the spokesman said. “The Shetland, Baggins, is a little less nervous and his confidence has improved quickly, making him easier to catch, lead and groom. With such differences between the four it is difficult to imagine where they came from. And as none were microchipped it is feared they were simply dumped at the side of the road.”

The four will all have veterinary care, including worm counts, dental examinations and farrier treatment. They will be gelded and prepared for rehoming when they are ready.

“Baggins and Frodo have just completed their first dentals, microchips, tetanus vaccines and strangles blood tests in preparation for coming out of quarantine,” said Lluest operations manager Dionne Schuurman. “These two boys took it all in their stride and were perfectly behaved.

“We are allowing nervous Gandalf to settle in without asking too much of him, so he skipped this vet visit as was only caught for the first time yesterday. It was great to finally get hands on him and cut out some of his badly matted hair. As expected, his worries very quickly melted away and he thoroughly enjoyed his first groom and scratches. He is a very sweet young man and it’s so easy to fall in love with him.

“Samwise is even more suspicious and nervous of us; he will take longer to come round. He will eat from a bucket you are holding but will quickly pin his ears and move away if you try to place a finger on him. Who knows if he’s had a previous bad experience of humans but hopefully it won’t be too long before he realises he isn’t in any danger from us.”

The trust is asking people to consider donating to the group’s care, as it is estimated the initial bill will be about £8,000, via a GoFundMe page.

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