A couple who have dedicated their retirement to rescuing and looking after hundreds of animals have been forced to sell their belongings to pay for increasing vet bills. David and Robbie Bartington moved to Gower from Hertfordshire in 2013 - and in the last nine years, they've saved more than 300 horses and scores of ponies, lambs and other animals at their home-turned-animal-sanctuary Woodfield Animal Sanctuary in Welshmoor.
But providing the animals with the safety, comfort and medication they need comes at a high price. Whilst the couple are grateful for the tireless work of their volunteers and donations from generous members of the public, they've been forced to selling their personal belongings to try and make up the £10,000 they owe the vet and to continue to give their animals the medical care they need.
The team first started selling items last December to make additional funds, but have had to start selling things again this month as bills continue to rise. "We're selling a horse trailer, paintings, jewellery - we even sold our wedding rings a year ago," Robbie told WalesOnline on Tuesday. "We're paying off the vet bills, the bills come to £10,000. We've saved 300 horses since 2013, predominantly from Gower. And we've got 75 ponies now, they're all rescues from across South Wales they wouldn't be here if not for us."
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When David and Robbie first moved to Wales nine years ago, they were looking forward to enjoying life in the relaxing Gower peninsula surrounded by nature - but friends and neighbours soon realised they had a "soft touch" and began asking them to care for animals-in-need, Robbie said. For more stories about Gower, go here.
"We starting homing ponies in desperate need, then word got out and we were asked to take in more ponies," Robbie explained. "We asked the authorities if we could do this, they said yes, and then we started to take in 'accident ponies,' mostly ponies hit by cars in Gower.
"Over the years we've taken in dogs, but we don't have kennels. At the moment we're getting five or six calls a day [from people asking us to take their dogs in] - people can no longer afford to keep their dogs, because of the cost of living crisis. And cat owners can't afford to keep their cats either.
"We're constantly out helping animals, we've been getting colts [male horses under the age of four] castrated - and this year, we've taken in more colts than ever before because people do not want them. Breeders and farmers don't want them, so we've taken them [and this has increased out vet bills]."
According to experts, colts need to be castrated to ensure their owners or people who come into contact with them are not at risk of being injured. Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic in England explains: "Colts are generally castrated for ease of management. If a colt is left entire it is usually impractical/impossible to run them in company, with either mares, geldings or other stallions, especially as they mature. They can become difficult to handle, and in some cases can be so dangerous as to pose a serious risk to the people and other horses around them."
With this in mind, Robbie and David face a difficult Catch-22: the more colts they rescue, the more colts they have to castrate - causing their bills to rise; but if they don't castrate the colts, they're putting themselves at risk.
As well as horses, ponies and dogs, the couple also rescue sheep and lambs. "We rescue lambs in the spring," Robbie said. "This year we rescued five disabled lambs - including one whose eyes were picked out by a crow."
Without the care and hard work of Robbie, David and their volunteers, the animals would struggle to survive - but at the moment their sanctuary is struggling to survive its bills.
Fundraiser for Vet costs
Robbie and David have set up an online fundraiser to raise the money needed for vet bills.
The 'Please help with our urgent veterinary costs!' fundraiser description reads: "This has been both our busiest year and our most tragic year, with the loss of some of our beloved animals after battles with their long term illnesses. We have seen a record number of new rescues coming into Woodfield, with every one in need of veterinary attention.
"This spring we took in a large number of colts, all needing to be castrated to prevent indiscriminate breeding. This is at a cost of £200 per colt. Sadly if the Colt is found to be a rig, he has to go in for surgery, at the clinic at a cost of over £700. We have had a couple of colts needing this expensive surgery already this year. It is also a requirement that each of the rescued horses has a passport and microchip by law, at a cost of £25 each , and as you can imagine this number adds up.
"We also took in a record number of mares and foals this year with lots requiring veterinary attention. We never turn away a disabled lamb or sheep, this year we had the highest number of disabled lambs ever, including our much loved Boysie who had been attacked by crows. When the farmer who brought him in said he had been attacked, just as he was born and had both eyes pecked out, we called out our vet immediately and after examining him closely he agreed not only both eyes had been removed but also over half of his tongue was missing too due to the attack.
"Our vet advised us to let him be put to sleep, but by now Boysie was enjoying his life with us drinking his milk, a lot slower than the other lambs but thoroughly enjoying it. So we thought lets just see how it goes. just over a month later a scab fell off one of Boysie's eyes, and to our delight and amazement, there inside was a twinkling little eye! Everyone was screaming and running round shouting Boysie can see! Boysie can see!" You can read the full description on the online fundraiser here
If you'd like to donate to the sanctuary's 'Vet Appeal', you can do so on JustGiving here, or by bank transfer: Woodfield Animal Sanctuary (Barclays Bank account): account number 43016374, sort code: 20-18-17.
Alternatively, you can contact Woodfield Animal Sanctuary via their Facebook page to arrange a donation or share your support.
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