Mrs Potts, an attractive 14.1hh bay mare, is based at Hall Farm in Norfolk. She came into our care in 2015 as a 6-year-old, following a request to help another charity with a group of horses kept on wasteland in Bedfordshire. The site revealed a number of horses in poor condition, of which one – Mrs Potts – was very lame, underweight and heavily pregnant. She was also unhandled and had possibly previously suffered from laminitis.
Mrs Potts gave birth to a healthy filly foal at Hall Farm just one month later and both she and the foal thrived. Once Mrs Potts had fully recovered it soon became clear, however, that she was rather prone to weight gain and keeping her at a healthy weight was a challenge but now, with the support of feed company, Baileys Horse Feeds, a healthy balance has been found.
Since recovering, Mrs Potts has been rehomed to a number of homes and has been backed to ride, but her previous history means that she can only undertake gentle hacking and controlling her diet is a large part of the day-to-day management of this laidback and lovely mare.
“Mrs Potts is currently back with us at the farm and she is very popular when we are open to the public, meeting visitors, being groomed and showing her wonderful temperament.
“We are seeing increasing numbers of overweight horses and managing a horse prone to weight gain is not simply restricting the amount of food available. Careful planning must go into what food is given, whilst ensuring that all the vitamins and minerals necessary and with the generous support of feed company, Baileys Horse Feeds, her weight is under control.”
Sue Hodgkins, Centre Manager at Hall Farm
“We’re proud to support World Horse Welfare and their teams rehabilitating all kinds of horses, whether over- or underweight. Many people are surprised to learn that overweight horses benefit from carefully prepared balancers to ensure they get all the dietary support they need, whilst keeping the calories down.”
Graham Rice, Business Development Manager for Baileys Horse Feeds
