How four Peter Pan ponies are recovering after being rescued in critical condition

Four little cob ponies who arrived at our Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre dangerously underweight and extremely ill in January are making incredible progress in the hands of our team. Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, Mary Darling and Wendy have become known as the “Peter Pan ponies” thanks to their distinctive names – and their story has touched hearts far and wide already.

Senior groom Holly Roe explains how young filly Tiger Lily, who was found shut in a pen under a tarpaulin, unable to even see daylight, has changed already with expert, compassionate care alongside correct nutrition:

“She’s put on 25kg since being here, so she’s now 142.5kg, which is brilliant. She’s definitely come out of her shell a lot and she is one playful little pony! She’s normally zooming around the field, legs flying everywhere, and having the time of her life.”

As well as supporting their physical recovery, the team have begun teaching the ponies the vital handling skills that they need to receive all the care and treatment required. Despite seemingly having had little experience of humans before coming into our care, Tiger Lily has proved to be a quick learner, as Holly explains:

“She can now have all four feet picked out and she’s happy to be led about. We will now start to develop her learning, which includes taking her out around the farm to see some more sights.”

The oldest mare in the group is Mary Darling, who was very underweight and had sore skin along her back when she arrived. In contrast to Tiger Lily, 10-year-old Mary Darling’s previous experiences of humans were reflected in her initial behaviour. Supervisor Lorraine Holmes says:

“She was quite defensive and didn’t want us near her – she would pull faces and come at you with her teeth. She was just very scared and worried about life – she’s a sweet girl underneath all that defensiveness. Mary Darling now weighs around 218kg, so she’s put on about 20kg since she arrived.”

Sadly, the expert staff at our rescue and rehoming centres are all too familiar with working with horses who’ve had bad experiences of humans before coming into our care. Lorraine explains how our teams set about rebuilding horses’ confidence after previous events have caused them to be fearful:

“It’s just time, patience and building that trust. We use positive reinforcement – food is always good. Once they know you’re a nice person and you have food, they’ll soon start to trust again. It’s a work in progress with Mary Darling – it tends to take a little bit longer with the older ones. They don’t come around as quickly as the young ones, but she’ll get there. It’s so rewarding seeing them come in all shut down, scared and frightened, then blossoming these lovely little ponies who eventually get rehomed.”

Tinker Bell, the youngest pony in the group, arrived in the worst condition. She was initially estimated to be aged around 6-9 months, but once the Equine Dental Technician was able to assess her properly, we discovered that she was even younger. At under six months old, Tinker Bell should still be with her mother, making her survival even more miraculous. Despite her awful start in life, she’s making good progress. Holly explains:

“Tinker Bell will start to flourish – it’ll just take time. She’s put on around 11.5kg, so she’s now around 70kg. She very much likes people and will come and find you as soon as we’re about. She’s a quick learner and has really blossomed with her handling.”

The fourth pony, Wendy, is around 1.5 years old and was very shut down on arrival at Hall Farm. Heartbreaking as it is to see horses and ponies arrive in that state, our grooms know that with compassionate, expert care, they should soon be much brighter. Lorraine says:

“Seeing them that quiet is really sad – they should be bright, happy, running around. When they’re that quiet it makes you wonder what they’ve been through, particularly given how poorly they are and how neglected they’ve been. Wendy’s put on 19.5kg since she arrived and she’s definitely perked up. Her character is coming out – once you get some food into them, they get a bit of spark and some energy. It’s amazing how much difference food, love and attention make.”

To help ponies like Tinker Bell, Tiger Lily, Wendy and Mary Darling get the expert, compassionate care they need to support them on their road to recovery, donate today.