Hazel's Diary 

 

Looking after a horse or pony can be hard work and a lot of money. Sometimes owners can no longer keep their animals and sign them over to us to be looked after. This diary is about one of these ponies, Hazel. 

 

Hazel on her way to her field

 

October 2008, the vet gives Hazel the 'all clear'

The grooms at the Blue Cross gave me some time to settle into my new home. It is so strange when you move to a new place. There are new smells, new people and new horses to get to know. My friends and I were put in isolation away from all the other horses for a while just in case we were feeling a bit poorly. A nice groom called Flora tried to make friends with me in the stable. I was a bit worried at first but she was very quiet and didn’t rush me. It didn’t take her long to put a head collar on me; she gave me some nice treats whenever I did something good so I quickly learnt. I then had a visit from the vet. She watched me walk and trot to make sure my legs were ok, listened to my lungs and heart, looked in my eyes and even injected me to protect me against flu and tetanus. I then had another injection, which made me a little sleepy. I had my teeth rasped so there were no sharp bits and I also had a tiny chip put in my neck. This means that if I ever get lost I will be returned to The Blue Cross. So much happened, but the vet said I was nice and healthy. That was great news because it meant I could go out into one of the isolation fields to eat some grass. I think I will learn a lot here!   

 

 

Hazel on arrival at The Blue Cross

 

September 2008, Hazel arrives at The Blue Cross

Hi, my name is Hazel and I'm an Exmoor pony. I now belong to The Blue Cross. I was signed over by my owner who couldn’t look after me anymore. 

 

When The Blue Cross picked me up, they couldn't catch me. I wanted to be caught but I was just so scared of what was happening. There was a big lorry and all my friends were being shut in there. I hadn’t really been handled for a long time and I forgot what it was like to have people touching me. One of the grooms tried to catch me in a stable, but I wouldn’t let her. I think she realised how scared I was so left me some yummy treats on the floor and told me not to worry. I saw my friend walking on the lorry and the grooms let me follow her. I went really quickly so I didn’t get left behind. I felt bad for leaving my owner, but knew it was for the best and that she had done the right thing. I neighed goodbye as loud as I could.  

 

It was a long journey, and we talked about The Blue Cross all the way. We wondered what would it be like, would there be lots of grass, and would the other ponies be nice? We had so many questions.

 

It was dark when we arrived and there were lots of people waiting to see us. My friend and I came off first. We tried to dodge the people and walked calmly into a warm cosy stable. There was hay, water and a big deep bed for us to sleep on; we started to feel very tired then. A couple of faces peeped over the door at us taking pictures and writing things down. The vet was there too. She had a look at us from outside the stable and decided that we looked in good enough health. Apart from being a bit muddy and tired she thought it would be better to come back when we were a bit braver in the next couple of days.