Farewell To Some Dear Friends

We have lost a few of our much loved animal friends over the summer and it has been extremely sad to see them go.  We are dreading the winter ahead with the bad weather and the financial worries, and are particularly concerned about the welfare situation generally which, whilst it is at an unprecedented high, we have been seeing skinny horses for the last few months, foresee a much bigger problem this year. It’s important that we can act quickly to help them and get food and water to them. We are setting up our Winter Feed Appeal as just feeding them can help keep them alive until the better weather kicks in and they stand a chance of thriving again until the next winter…

Whilst the Sanctuary was set up following the plight of the Rainham Marsh horses, we only took on land because we took in Pickles and his mum Misty and, from having the land, we then got the next horse Caesar and that was the beginning of Remus Sanctuary!

Misty had carried her foal, Pickles, on Rainham Marshes during the terrible floods where many horse got cut off and died in 1983. Sadly she was kicked in the head by another horse and sustained a fractured skull causing massive maxillary swellings She was then tethered at Hacton Lane recreation ground where despite the fractured skull and being tethered she gave birth to little Pickles. We were only contacted by the Council when Pickles starting being a nuisance to passers by on the recreation ground. We were also contacted by a young girl, Catherine Terry, who was concerned about Misty. Catherine remains a member to this day.

We immediately took on both horses and sadly Misty was put to sleep the same day to save her further suffering. We kept Pickles at a livery yard prior to renting somewhere privately to keep him. Pickles was the first horse our founder Sue ever had the care of and he taught her so much! He kicked her and split a muscle in her leg and reared all over her every time she went into his field. Sensibly she would have given up on horses!

Pickles always had the most enormous character and when he was 7 years old he went to a home in Mountnessing with Sue and Neil Tredgett. He had a great life with them and we are so grateful to the Tredgett family for caring for him for over 25 years. Sue said recently that when her husband Neil died Pickles gave her the reason to get up every day. She fought with him through terrible bouts of laminitis and a few years ago he underwent surgery to have his entire penile area removed. Thank you Sue for all the love and care that you gave him. Pickles was a great horse and will always be remembered by so many people and certainly by us at Remus.

Tiny Tim came to us in the early 90s when he was found running down the A12 and taken in by a window making factory who contacted the Police and were devastated when the Police impounded Tim at a slaughter yard where he watched other horses being slaughtered in front of him. Eventually we had to buy him from the Police to secure his safety!

He was in a foster home for many years before coming back to us a few years ago. He was such a sweet little pony and has been a joy to look after.

Just a week ago we had to say goodbye to Bella donkey who had been with us for some years. She was in last stage liver failure. She was a dear little soul and had originally come out of Spindles Farm, so one can only guess at the suffering she will have endured over the years, but she had some lovely final years at Remus and this is what we are about – giving these animals some quality time in their final years.

It is devastating when we lose our beloved animals, they become friends to us all and I know you will be as sad as us when reading the stories above. And sadly, their desperate tales prove the importance of our work and need to continue. Please help us by becoming a member, sponsoring an animal and sharing what we do with your friends and family.