Orphaned racehorse foals fostered by shire horse

Sammy the shire horse and racehorse foals Mouse and Tracey

A pair of orphaned racehorse foals have been adopted by a shire horse in Devon.

Sammy the shire horse had recently lost her own foal when the thoroughbreds, whose own mothers had died, were brought into her care.

On being introduced to the one-month olds in Chulmleigh, Sammy's owners said she was "ecstatic" and quick to feed them from her own milk supply.

Jess Westwood said: "It is very unusual to have a shire rearing up two thoroughbred foals.

"We are very very lucky to have her and we are very happy to say that they are all going on nicely.

LISTEN: BBC Radio Devon hears how Sammy has taken to raising Mouse and Tracey

"Sammy looks after these foals as though they are her own.

"The moment she saw the first foal her eyes lit up, she was ecstatic, she had a foal and then all of a sudden she had two she was even happier."

Jess Westwood said Sammy was ecstatic to meet the foals in Chulmeigh

Sammy was brought to Molland Ridge Stud in Chulmleigh from Leicestershire to foster Mouse and Tracey.

They were born on the same day to different mares who both died because of complications.

Ms Westwood was looking for a foster mare as she had been bottle feeding them every two hours.

A foster mare is a horse which has lost her foal and still has a milk supply.

She said: "Sammy the shire was very willing to take on two thoroughbreds which is amazing.

"Shire horses are fantastic brood mares and foster mares because they have lots of milk and our two thoroughbred foals basically counteract a shire foal.

"They weigh the same amount as that one shire foal did when it was born, sadly dead."

The foals zoom around Sammy the shirehouse when they are in the paddock

Ms Westwood said Sammy is "very careful" when the foals are sprawled beneath her, and has had to adjust to life with two energetic offspring.

"It was a bit of a shock for Sammy the shire when she went out in the field and the two thoroughbreds whizzed around the field like two racehorses," she added.

"She was used to a dopey shire and was taken aback by these foals zooming around her."

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