News | Entertainment
19 Mar 2024 20:08
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Five of Queen Elizabeth's ponies have died from a "dreadful" disease

    The 94-year-old monarch has seen a number of the Highland ponies, which are kept at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, pass away over the last two years after contracting equine grass sickness, which is believed to be triggered by toxins that attack the nervous system and eventually paralyse the animal's gut


    Stud manager Sylvia Ormiston, who has run the Balmoral stud since 2007, called for further research to tackle to condition.

    She told the British Horse Society's magazine: "Here at Balmoral we are prepared to help in any way we can to make progress towards a cure for this dreadful disease."

    Sylvia explained how "sweet two-year-old filly" Friendly was the first to die, followed by her mother just a day later. Later that year, a three-year-old male named Omar passed away, and in 2018, the stud's two stallions, Balmoral Lord and Balmoral Hercules, died within two weeks of each other.

    The breed is at risk and prior to Balmoral Lord's death, some of his DNA was stored at Britain's first livestock gene bank.

    The stallions' death posed a major threat to Balmoral's breeding programme, of which the queen - who rode Highland ponies as a teenager and is also patron of the Highland Pony Society - takes a keen interest.

    The monarch approves the name of each of the ponies bred on the estate, and they are often led closer to the castle when she's in residence in Scotland so she can watch them from her windows.

    The queen also breeds Fell ponies, which like Highland ponies are considered vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

    © 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     19 Mar: Karla Souza has given birth to her third child following a "marathon" labour
     19 Mar: Liam Gallagher insists he's a "kind-hearted" person, despite his hardman reputation
     19 Mar: Maksim Cmerkovskiy's son was unfazed after learning that he would be getting a sibling
     19 Mar: Kesha has claimed she was once "dumped" after refusing to take an ex to Taylor Swift's afterparty
     19 Mar: Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle's daughter has been tipped to follow in her mum's musical footsteps by dad Jason Bell
     19 Mar: Kaya Scodelario says it's "very easy " to be "written off as difficult to work with" as a woman in the acting business
     19 Mar: Jeremy Renner quipped that he felt like he was "dating" co-star Robert Downey Jr. as the pair FaceTimed during his stint in the ICU
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The Blues want to turn the clock back to the days of Benji Marshall's short-lived rugby union stint this weekend More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    A win for Christchurch's local economy, as a 35-million dollar premium pet food plant opens up shop More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Karla Souza has given birth to her third child following a "marathon" labour 19:58

    Living & Travel:
    Catherine, Princess of Wales, spotted in public at local farm shop amid bizarre #WhereIsKate conspiracy theories 19:37

    Entertainment:
    Liam Gallagher insists he's a "kind-hearted" person, despite his hardman reputation 19:28

    Entertainment:
    Maksim Cmerkovskiy's son was unfazed after learning that he would be getting a sibling 18:58

    Health & Safety:
    Health officials are warning a shortage of anti-psychotic drug - olanzapine , could cause relapses for people with schizophrenia symptoms 18:57

    Health & Safety:
    Supply chain issues of a critical anti-psychotic drug, are expected to last until the end of the year 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Kesha has claimed she was once "dumped" after refusing to take an ex to Taylor Swift's afterparty 18:28

    Business:
    A win for Christchurch's local economy, as a 35-million dollar premium pet food plant opens up shop 18:07

    Entertainment:
    Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle's daughter has been tipped to follow in her mum's musical footsteps by dad Jason Bell 17:58

    Entertainment:
    Kaya Scodelario says it's "very easy " to be "written off as difficult to work with" as a woman in the acting business 17:28


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2024 New Zealand City Ltd