The Mighty One - Surviving Against the Odds

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An old newspaper article about Anne's hand-reared twin foal Mighty.

Mighty should'nt have lived. She was only 22kg when born and couldn't walk for three days. Vets gave her little chance of surviving. But they hadn't counted on the care and attention of owners Anne and Paul Tocker. The Tockers bottle-fed the weakling from birth and although Mighty has grown into a strong four-week old she remains on the bottle and has decided life with humans isn't too bad. She was born at a Cambridge stud, but taken to the Tocker's Maungateparu farm soon after.

She is a twin and while equine twin births are rare it is even rarer for both to survive. Mighty's sister Checkmate hasn't had any problem and lives the life of a normal foal on the Tocker's farm.
Vets told the Tockers Mighty probably wouldn't survive but they decided to give her a chance. Special treatment has been needed for Mighty, especially as her mother chases her away. She is hand-fed every three hours, wears a cover to keep her warm (her hair has not yet grown properly), and gets to come inside the house. So far the treatment is working.

“The fact that she survived to today is quite something,” Anne says. Mighty has now come to expect special treatment. She kicks up a fuss whenever the Tockers are late for feeding, and she has taken an interest in things around the house. This means the Tockers have to keep an eye on ornaments while Mighty is wandering about. But it's all worth it, according to Anne. And although Mighty should survive its unlikely she will reach normal height.

UPDATE: Mighty, now 22 years of age, still lives happily with Anne and Paul at Club Ned and is the poster child for Club Ned's smart new business cards.

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The Mighty One - Surviving Against the Odds