Ponies now enjoying a brighter future thanks to multi-agency work on Gelligaer and Merthyr Common
Equine welfare charities including the RSPCA, Redwings and World Horse Welfare, are sharing updates on ponies that have been removed from the common in an ongoing project to improve welfare in the herd.
There are currently around 250 semi-feral ponies living on the commons of Gelligaer and Merthyr Tydfil, the majority of which are unowned. In November 2024, the organisations, working in partnership with the Gelligaer and Merthyr Commoners’ Association, completed a two-day welfare operation in South Wales.
Assisted by staff from Donkey Sanctuary, British Horse Society, Blue Cross, HorseWorld and Bransby Horses, the charities removed 30 ponies from the common to try and ease the burden on the land before the winter. More than 40 staff from the organisations were involved in the operation.
The ponies have all been offered homes at the charities, and the aim of the project is that by removing ponies and aiming to find private homes for them via their rehoming schemes, the welfare of the remaining ponies living in herds on the common will improve, due to numbers being more sustainable for the land.
In the 2024 operation, 10 ponies went to the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare and Blue Cross respectively as part of the rehoming project. This follows a similar operation in the Autumn of 2023, where 66 ponies were removed – and many are now thriving in their new homes, including:
RSPCA Porsha
Two-year-old Porsha arrived at RSPCA Felledge Equine Centre very nervous of any human presence. Thanks to reassurance from the team, and the positive association of food rewards, Porsha went from running away from humans to allowing them to scratch her and soon wearing a headcollar.
After work to progress to grooming, her handling and relationship with people, Porsha was rehomed in 2024 and is now best friends with her young rehomer Will. Porsha is enjoying in-hand walks, trips out and preparing to begin life as a ridden pony, and Will and Porsha look forward to joining Pony Club and competing at local shows.
World Horse Welfare Smithy
Smithy, a four-year-old stallion, went to World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Lancashire. He was the most nervous of their Gelligaer group, and his groom worked hard to gain his trust and get him used to interacting with people. Smithy was castrated by the charity, which also helped with his behaviour, but he remained particular about the people he would be handled by.
Knowing this, the team at World Horse Welfare worked hard to find the right home for Smithy, and he found his perfect fit with rehomer Katherine. He now lives on the Isle of Skye as a companion and has settled in perfectly to his new home.
Blue Cross Lemon
Lemon was removed from the common in 2023. At the Blue Cross the team discovered she had significant parasite infestation, of worms and lice, and started her on a worming protocol, and clicker training to familiarise her with people so that they could groom her and treat the lice.
After further handling training, in August 2024 she was rehomed as a companion to two mares, and it has proven the perfect match for her.
Bransby Brynn
Brynn was also removed from the common in 2023. At Bransby Horses he was nervous of human contact but always willing to try and understand the grooms and their training. He was initially unsure of most procedures, especially having his hooves trimmed, but with positive food rewards his confidence blossomed. He was rehomed in November 2024 via the British Horse Society’s Second Chance rehoming project, with the aim he will become a riding school pony.
*Photos and video from the operation, and of the rehomed ponies are available to download here.*
Roxane Kirton MRCVS, RSPCA Head Vet (Equine), said: “This operation forms part of a wider strategic project, working alongside Redwings, World Horse Welfare and the Commoners Association, on a long-term herd management plan that can be overseen and implemented locally, and aims to reduce the numbers of ponies to a sustainable level in a way that supports good equine welfare. This will include cataloguing all the residents and removing those ponies who have a high chance of a good life in a private home.”
Nic de Brauwere MRCVS, Redwings’ Head of Welfare and Behaviour, said: “This winter, since the removal of these ponies, we have noticed a decline in the number of welfare reports to the charities. Reports we do receive are about individual cases, as opposed to large numbers of the population, which is what we had experienced in the past, in the 20 years that Redwings has been working on the commons in South Wales alongside our partners. This project sees us embrace the challenges in a much more structured way to achieve long-term change.”
Claire Gordon, Chief Field Officer at World Horse Welfare, said: “Commons like Gelligaer are put under increasing pressure each year due to the unchecked breeding of abandoned horses and ponies, and the sheer numbers in the herds, who are competing for resources alongside other livestock. Our collaborative approach to deliver an innovative sustainable solution has the potential to not only help the horses that currently live on the common but also aims to secure the welfare of future generations too.”
Huw Williams, Chairman of the Gelligaer & Merthyr Commoners Association, said: “The Commoners Association is eager to work towards creating a sustainable future for the ponies on the common. We are pleased to be working with the equine charities on this project, which is aimed at establishing a healthy, thriving, herd of ponies on the common.”
To find out more about the work being done on Gelligaer or how you can support it, visit the charities’ websites.