Mossburn Animal Sanctuary in Lockerbie, caters for a wide variety of animals including horses, pigs, rabbits, goats and even reptiles. All these animals are there because they were misused, abused, unwanted or neglected. However, once in the care of Juanita Wilson and her team at Mossburn, every animal’s worries are over as each gets the care and attention it deserves, while those with two legs learn correct animal husbandry.

One of the many interesting animals to have found sanctuary at Mossburn is Jasper who is an 11-year-old gelding. Jasper’s favourite pastime is chasing the resident cattle. He’s very popular with everyone at Mossburn (except the cows!) for his naughty but nice character. However, Jasper’s demeanour was not always so appealing. When Juanita first encountered the horse he was biting, kicking and was generally very unhappy.

All too often the reasons behind a horse’s behavioural problems are overlooked. It is not unusual for a horse or pony to be considered dangerous when it is simply acting on instinct because it is in pain and when a simple health check would reveal something which could be easily put right. So it was with Jasper.

When he arrived at Mossburn Juanita had Jasper examined by the equine osteopath, who had to work on Jasper’s body several times to make him more comfortable. Next came the horse dentist who found that the poor horse had no molars in his lower jaw, and, as a result, his top molars had grown very large. Most uncomfortable!

This had to be remedied by an operation at Glasgow Vet School to trim them. When you consider the discomfort Jasper must have felt from his body and his mouth, it is little wonder he had behavioural problems.

Just to add to his misery, Jasper also suffers from sweet-itch, an irritating skin condition caused by a reaction to fly bites. This can make a horse’s life unbearable in the summer months but fortunately Juanita discovered a Neem based shampoo, lotion and repellent which, used together, greatly eased his discomfort.

Since moving to Mossburn, Jasper has been wonderfully cared for by Juanita and her team and is now a much happier horse. With his regular visits from the osteopath and dentist, and the use of a Neem shampoo, lotion and spray specially designed for horses in the summer, his needs are now being met and he can concentrate on enjoying the rest of his life in comfort.

Mossburn Animal Sanctuary, Hightae, Lockerbie is open to the public from 10am – 4pm every day and is well worth a visit. And why not browse their very entertaining website - www.mossburn.org where you can learn about all their animals, look into fostering one of them and even do a jigsaw!