Foal named Captain Tom following social media competition

A foal has been named Captain Tom in tribute to Second World War veteran and NHS fundraiser Captain Tom Moore, after a horse charity held a social media competition to pick a name.

The colt foal was born at World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre near Thetford in Norfolk on Tuesday.

His mother, a mare called Winona, was already pregnant when she came into the charity’s care in December as part of a welfare case.

Sue Hodgkins, the centre’s manager, said: “We decided to pick ‘Captain Tom’ to name the foal after the inspiring Captain Tom Moore because he shares some of the qualities we feel our welfares also have to possess in order to survive the ordeals they go through before coming into World Horse Welfare.

“They have to be resilient, stoic, determined, positive, selfless – which certainly applies to our mares who come into the farm in foal or with foals at foot – and forgiving.

“As Captain Tom grows, his name will also help to remind us of how we all adapted and coped during this lockdown and that Winona produced this bundle of joy at such a strange time.”

The foal will be cared for by the charity until he is old enough and ready to be rehomed.

The charity said its four rescue centres are currently full to capacity but many of the mares coming in as welfare cases are pregnant, meaning the number of animals the charity has to care for continues to increase.

To rehome a horse, see www.worldhorsewelfare.org/rehoming