Meet Noddy the Miracle Brumby -

Noddy has joined us at Heartfelt Support, and he has quite a story. Here it is, written by Anita Trenwith, who raised him from a young foal.

The story of SABA Noddy

The journey from Kosciuszko to South Australian therapy pony

Kosciuszko brumby mare, previously named “SABA Fleur” and now known as “SABA Star”, was trapped at Cooleman in NSW by National Parks. Star, along with 27 other brumbies, was rescued that day from slaughter by the South Australian Brumby Association (SABA). They arrived in SA on 5 August 2020. Many of the 16 mares on that truck were already in foal, including Star, and in late 2020 a total of 10 foals were born — including Star’s foal “SABA Noddy”, who was born in October.

Noddy was a little chestnut colt and soon won the hearts of visitors at the brumby sanctuary with his curious and bold personality.

Noddy was adopted along with filly SABA Gypsy and moved to Yaratina Farm on 12 May 2021. Initially Noddy travelled with his mum, and once he settled into his new home he was weaned. His mum went back to the sanctuary, where she was soon adopted and moved to a lovely home in the Adelaide hills.

A tough start

Unfortunately, SABA Noddy was not your average tough brumby. Within ten days of moving to Yaratina Farm, he had a visit from the vet to treat his eye for a scratched cornea. Luckily he was easy to halter train, making him manageable for the treatment that followed.

Noddy recovered from the scratch, only to have his eye flare up again as soon as he stopped medication. And so began an ongoing battle with an autoimmune response that required ongoing steroids.

Coinciding with one of his eye checks on 8 July 2021, the vet gelded Noddy to ensure there would be no Noddy foals in the future — there were enough brumbies looking for homes without breeding more. Unlike the tough brumby he was meant to be, by 16 July he was battling a raging infection and had to start strong antibiotics to save his life.

Recovery and learning

Finally, his tough brumby instincts kicked in. He recovered from the infection and progressed quickly, learning all about farm machinery and quad bikes. He learnt to lead, had his first bath, had children doting on him, brushing and feeding him, and learnt to mingle with the other horses at Yaratina Farm.

He met the farrier and learnt to load in the horse float. He was eager to learn and needed a job to keep him out of mischief.

Unfortunately, the wind, dust, and flies at Yaratina Farm on the Adelaide Plains made it difficult for his eyes to make a full recovery and wean off the steroids. Then the opportunity came to move to the hills — less wind, less dust, less flies — which would increase his chance of his eyes making a full recovery.

Born for the job

On 22 January 2022, Noddy moved to Chandler’s Hill to start his new life as a therapy pony for Heartfelt Support. SABA Noddy was born for this job — getting brushed and pampered while helping people with disabilities connect with horses. This Kosciuszko brumby is going to play a major role in improving the lives of many people living with disability. He is showcasing the true versatility of these wild horses and the remarkable roles they can fill.

So, that’s the Noddy story so far. We’ll keep you updated on his continuing story here at Heartfelt Support.

Written by Anita Trenwith. Photos by Anita Trenwith.