Sunshine, light nights and warm evening walks, the joys of summer are here at last, well, for most of us. Unfortunately, tailless Bob doesn’t share our enthusiasm as it’s not much fun for a horse with no tail surrounded by flies and midges he can’t swish away.
Sadly, before Bob was taken in by Ferne after his owner died, someone had left a wet tail bandage on him for a long time. Long enough for it to kill his tail hair. All he’s left with now is a sprinkling of short hair at the top, certainly not long enough to ward off those flies. However, fortunately for him, it is just long enough to weave a tail extension onto, which Ferne are fundraising for.
Bob relies on these extensions to help prevent him getting stressed, annoyed and bitten by irritating flies and midges and we are now in horse fly season! He does wear a fly rug which keeps the majority at bay but we do like to take this off overnight so he can have a good scratch and a groom with the other horses.
“The poor old boy has lost his lifelong owner and moved to Somerset, the least we can do is restore his tail (and dignity!) to keep him comfortable in his retirement” commented Nikki Haddock, Animal Manager. “However, in Summer it’s not his good looks we worry about as it’s a real problem for him to keep the flies off with no tail. The extensions make the world of difference to his wellbeing, so we’re hoping people will help and respond to our appeal for donations to pay for this more unusual item.”
Please see our donations page at www.ferneanimalsanctury.org to see how you can help. From pocket money to larger amounts, it all helps to support the work we do with horses like Bob.
Ferne Animal Sanctuary at Chard is a registered charity and relies on the support of the public and dedicated volunteers to continue its vital work.