Royal visitor for horse and pony rescue team (From Free Press Series)

Royal visitor for horse and pony rescue team

PRINCESS Anne paid a flying visit to a Monmouth-based animal charity last week to help celebrate its 30th anniversary.

The Princess Royal arrived by helicopter at Coxstone, St Maughans, Monmouth, the home of the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies last Friday.

The charity was founded by Alasdair and Jenny MacGregor, who asked Simon Boyle, the Lord Lieutenant for Gwent, if he could arrange the visit.

Wearing a smart checked jacket and black trousers, Princess Anne spent almost an hour chatting to the stable girls, volunteers and horse lovers who have adopted rescued animals and ponies. They all help keep the charity going and care for the animals.

Stable girl Rachel Waters was asked by the Princess about the 'crush' used to help tame the wild horses when they first arrive. She said: "I explained that some of the rescued ponies that come in are not used to humans, and the crush allows us to handle them without them getting injured.

"It's a good thing for helping build up trust, and they spend five or ten minutes a day in it. It took me about three months to tame my favourite horse, William, but he's a darling now."

The royal visitor was introduced to Roy Young, from Dingestow, who carries out all the repair and building work at the horse hospital, and volunteers Ann Keating, of Fochriw, and her mother, Pearl, who have helped rescue 60 starving and sick animals from Gelligaer Common since May 2002.

The Princess Royal also met several of the rescued horses and ponies, including Shetlands Sebastian and Merlin and two filly foals, Jubilee and Phoebe, who were found at Gelligaer.

Jubilee was found as a new-born, lying in a cattle grid, so she had to be fed, night and day every two hours, while Phoebe had been hit by a car and her leg wound took five months to heal.

The Princess also saw the latest rescued animal, a mare called Chance who was taken into care this week after being found without food or shelter. And she met Boris who was found just before Christmas by a teenager in Trefil Quarry, where he lay after breaking his pelvis in a fall.

A plaque to commemorate her visit was unveiled by Princess Anne, who smiled as she lifted the Scottish flag which covered it - a reminder of the MacGregor's ancestry.

Mrs MacGregor then presented the princess with a specially commissioned cheese plate which carries a picture of Jubilee and Phoebe skipping in the orchard when they were small foals. It was made by potter Jane Chapman of Hampshire.

Among the guests were the High Sheriff of Gwent, Selby Milner and his wife, the chairman of Monmouthshire County Council, Colin White, and the mayor of Monmouth, Susan White.

The Princess Royal later visited Natural Animal Feeds at Penrhos, near Raglan, before flying home to Gloucestershire.