An innovative support unit arranges veterinary services for remote equine owners from hoof to tail but its dependent on donations.
BY HELEN RIDDELL
A BEARA-based equine charity is providing a valuable outreach service to owners of donkeys and ponies on the peninsula in order to help them manage the welfare needs of their animals.
Beara Equine Support was founded in 2018, and while it helps the owners of any equine animal, at the moment the service mostly helps those who own donkeys.
The support service, which co-ordinates farriers, horse dentists, and other veterinary services for those on Beara, was founded by Norah de Barra when she was looking for a donkey herself.
‘Someone gave me a donkey that was a rescue animal. He was very angry at first and hard to handle, and his hooves were in a very bad way. I got help for him to have his hooves looked at and treated, and it was then I discovered that people in the local community had difficulty in getting a farrier for their animals.’
Originally Norah acted as a go-between for the farrier and donkey owners in Beara, contacting owners every four months or so to get names together for the farrier to call to.
‘The Beara peninsula is very isolated and a farrier won’t come all this way for just two animals. Whereas, if we get a list together it’s worth his while. Plus we’re making sure the animals are looked after and their hooves are treated on a regular basis,’ she said.
‘After setting up ongoing visits from the farrier, we also did the same with the equine dentist and now he comes to Beara regularly.’
Norah has volunteered with a number of equine charities over the years, and has trained in equine studies, hoof care and equine sports massage.
Setting up Beara Equine Support was, she says, a way of supporting owners to keep their animals.
The group is now a registered charity and has 10 volunteers.
‘Our volunteers can help elderly owners when the farrier or the equine dentist calls. If they’re unable to handle the donkey themselves, or if someone is at work or away fishing, we can be there to help out.’
Norah is keen to stress that Beara Equine Support do not police welfare cases. ‘We are not authorised welfare officers, the role of our group is to support and help owners.
‘If we come across ponies or donkeys who need rehoming because their owner has passed away or they have been abandoned, we have a number of foster homes in the area who can help us out on a temporary basis.’
Norah de Barra with an asal, Mary. (Photo: Anne Marie Cronin)
The group are unable to take animals in themselves but will ensure they receive the care they need.
‘We are not a sanctuary. Unfortunately, we don’t have the funds or the premises, but we are a go-to point and we will make sure any abandoned animals are helped, and we can, and do, partner with other larger organisations to secure long-term homes.’
Although the occurrence of abandoned animals has become less common in recent years due to mandatory micro-chipping and registration, the group has responded to calls reporting abandoned or straying animals and has worked with An Garda Síochána to safely secure loose animals in order to avoid road accidents.
‘We have provided feed, shelter and care during interim periods while we seek out an owner or arrange foster care.’
Norah explains the group has also assisted owners rehome animals, when they feel they are no longer in a position to care for them, or where the animal may be older or has health issues that may require a different environment or specialist care, that would be too demanding on the current owner.
The group also helps with veterinary care, by providing financial support to pay for castrations, treatment for lame animals and hoof abscesses and will help with dietary needs. ‘If an animal isn’t getting the right nourishment and is too thin, we can purchase special feed and food supplements and give a weight gain regime to the owner and help them with this.’
The group is dependent on goodwill and donations to help them with their work, says Norah.
‘We’re always looking for people to help with short-term foster care for donkeys and any money we raise here at Beara Equine Support goes directly to helping the animals. Our main goal is to help members of our community keep their animals, prevention is so much better than cure.’
Donations to the group can be made at equinesupport.org.
