An orphaned foal found abandoned in Wales and taken in by Bristol welfare charity HorseWorld has found a new mum.

Little colt James, named after the Welsh vet practice that helped rescue him, has been successfully bonded with foster mare Cassie.

Following last week's public appeal for a foster mare, Nicky Chalk, from East Knoyle in Wiltshire, came forward after her six-year old Welsh Section A mare had given birth to a badly deformed foal that had to be put to sleep.

Nicky said: "Cassie was very distressed when she lost her foal. It was her second and I know from experience that she is a brilliant mum. As soon as I heard about James I contacted HorseWorld and when Cassie saw him she loved him straight away. I think that she believes that he is her own foal."

At just three days old, James was suffering from an injection when he was brought to HorseWorld and needed bottle feeding every two hours. His best chance of survival was to find a foster mare.

HorseWorld's Sarah Hollister, who was part of the team that took care of James, said: "The future now looks a lot brighter for James. He has been on a strong course of antibiotics to resolve the infection in his joints and he is growing stronger and more lively every day.

"We really couldn't have wished for a better ending for James. After everything he has been through it must seem to him like he has died and gone to heaven.

"Seeing him fight so hard for survival and now to be so alive and full of bounce with Cassie in the field brought a tear to everyone's eyes. They are so natural together that you would never guess that she is not his natural mother."

James will now spend at least the next six months in the care of his new foster family in Wiltshire before being returned to HorseWorld after he has been weaned.

The charity now faces the not insignificant task of raising funds to cover the cost of the foal's rescue and life-saving emergency treatment, estimated at more than £2,000.

For more information, visit http://www.horseworld.org.uk/