Petunia, Dahlia and their foals blossom at Hall Farm

Two young ponies have given birth at our Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk after being rescued at the end of last year. Now, three-year-old Petunia, two-year-old Dahlia and their foals Lupin and Leo (pictured above with his mum Dahlia) are thriving in our team’s expert hands.

Expressing her concern over the age of the two recent mothers, Hall Farm Centre Manager Sue Hodgkins says:  

“Both these fillies are young to be raising a foal, but the real concern is that this is already Petunia’s second. She was rescued with a foal at foot – a filly named Tulip, who is now ready to find a home of her own – so at the age of three Petunia has just had her second foal.

“Sadly, we do see young fillies like Petunia and Dahlia arriving in foal when uncontrolled breeding has been happening in a group of horses. At that age, they’ve still got a huge amount of growing and maturing to do themselves, and pregnancy places even more strain on them, especially if they haven’t been receiving the care and nutrition they need.”

Despite their difficult start in life, Petunia and Dahlia have each given birth to a healthy colt foal and all are doing well. Lupin was born to Petunia on 2^nd June and Dahlia welcomed Leo on 31^st July. Sue adds:

“Lupin’s full of character and very striking – he’s already very popular with our visitors and I’m sure Leo will be too. All horses deserve a good life from day one and having been born here in safety, Lupin and Leo will only ever know love and kindness. They will also receive all the expert care they need to set them up for success in life.”

Our Field Officer Rebecca Carter found the young ponies when they were reported after straying for several months in Kent. She explains:

“They’d been grazing on unsuitable forage on arable farmland, which made them ill and did a lot of damage to crops. With help from local people, the police, and a vet, the ponies were taken to safety at Hall Farm, where they could get the expert care they needed.”

Now, Petunia, Dahlia, Lupin and Leo are thriving at Hall Farm and looking forward to meeting our visitors. If you’re looking for a family-friendly day out this summer, find out more and book your visit to one of our rescue and rehoming centres now.