A welfare charity in Cornwall lost its field shelters for the second time since last Christmas, but the generosity of supporters will allow them to build new structures.
Storm Arwen’s 60mph winds pulled down two shelters at one of Bodmin Moorland Pony Rehabilitation sites on 26 November.
Charity founder Shelley Oldfield was at the yard that morning and witnessed the scenes unfold.
The shelters were destroyed for a second time
“I noticed something had happened to the middle of the shelter in main field, it looked like it was starting to collapse,” she told Your Horse. “Within half an hour I saw the ponies going crazy and the shelter was trying to take off.
“The solid wooden skids had sheared and that’s what caused centre to drop. As soon as I saw centre coming down got out there with tape so ponies couldn’t get anywhere near, but seeing a 12x24ft shelter trying to take flight is a bit nerve wracking.”
A second shelter in another field was ripped up backwards at around the same time.
“We were expecting the storms to come in overnight,” said Shelley. “We knew winds would get worse that was what was so scary.
“The ponies live out and are kept as naturally as possible in domestic setting, but we do have one very elderly pony and another who does need shelter in particular. The older ones have somewhere dry to rest and it gives them freedom of choice.”
Thankfully no ponies were hurt and they have calmed down since the incident.
The ponies were terrified by the damage
Shelley and the team are now fundraising to build new shelters, and this time they plan to use a more robust structure to withstand further storms, as this is the second time in a year that the charity’s shelters have been destroyed by extreme weather.
They have raised more than £4,600.
“It’s incredible, being such a small charity we are often overlooked, but there are some incredible people out there,” Shelley said. “We have some wonderful supporters and people who didn’t realise who we are donating. It gives you your faith back.
“Our regular income has been decimated [because of the pandemic], so it’s so wonderful to have this support.”
Shelley founded the charity in 2014 and all those who help out are volunteers and no one receives an income.
Phoenix enjoying life since her rescue
“You couldn’t do it unless you loved it, especially the horrors that you see,” she said. “Its a huge commitment but when you see the welfare cases healthy and happy and moving on to new life its the best feeling, it makes everything worth it.”
