Pops and Olly

Pops and Olly are two friendly thoroughbreds who came to us in November 2021. Their original owner could no longer keep them and made the difficult decision to give them up. World Horse Welfare contacted us to see if we could help. The pair arrived at our vet and welfare facility just as autumn was turning into winter.

Pops is a 16-year-old bay mare and Olly is a 19-year-old bay gelding. The horses were showing signs of hoof problems that would take time to improve. They both needed a full set of shoes to allow them to move around the sanctuary comfortably.

two horses arriving at the sanctuary
Pops and Olly brushing their noses together

One of the sanctuary farriers, Tom Phillips from Trojan Farriery, explains: ‘Their hooves were in need of some very careful attention. They both had very flat, cracked feet. Their hooves needed balancing and stabilising while they grew out. Luckily, Olly only needed a normal set of shoes, but the cracks on Pops feet were much worse so she needed heart bar shoes. In just a couple of visits I have already seen improvement and they are now both heading in the right direction.

’Pops and Olly are doing well and enjoying life with their new shoes. They have even made friends with another thoroughbred in the sanctuary. Charley, who is part of the Sanctuary Care team says: ‘They are both such lovely horses and they are a pleasure to care for.’