IHRP Emil

Name: Emil

Date of Rescue: April 2015

Emil was impounded from a housing estate in Dublin where he was tied to a goal post on a green area. He spent 5 days in the pound and as no owner came forward to claim him he was destined to be destroyed. We selected Emil as suitable for rehoming due to his quiet, curious disposition, his soundness and good conformation, and his age- he was 3 years old.

Rehabilitation Process

Emil was basically healthy, although he was underweight and suffering from extensive lice and worm burdens. We treated him for these as the first part of his rehabilitation, and he spent the next month on a tailor-made diet to allow him to gain weight safely. Although Emil came to us with a set of shoes on, indicating that he had been ridden or driven, he had been badly handled and the basics of putting on a head collar, picking up hooves, leading etc., were all difficult to begin with. He would get nervous easily but we won his trust with a ‘follow us’ approach and a treat/reward system. After a month, Emil was fit enough to be castrated and once healed he was offered for rehoming.

Emil when he arrived

Emil today

Emil was adopted quickly once we showed him on our website and Facebook. His story touched the hearts of a lovely young couple in Germany who wished to help a rescue pony. Emil left us in July 2015, just 3 months after rescue. Once Emil had settled into his new home, his new owners started groundwork with him, taking it at his pace. In Germany they frequently use a loose training method with a lot of desensitising. It was recognised very quickly that Emil did not like a bit, probably due to previous bad experiences, so he was trained to ride bitless. Emil is now a healthy happy pony and is giving a lot of pleasure as a happy hacker!