Cannon Hall Farm: Prized shire foal rushed to vets after collapsing during viral live broadcast
A prized shire foal born at Cannon Hall Farm has been rushed to an emergency vets after collapsing during a live broadcast watched by hundreds of thousands of people.
The foal, born to the matriarch of the Cannon Hall Farm stable Sapphire, was born on Saturday morning, April 18, 2026, with Robert Nicholson, director of Cannon Hall Farm, watching on.
During a live broadcast on the farm’s Facebook page, disaster struck; the foal was suddenly taken ill with a significant colic, and within half an hour ended up being rushed to Rainbow Equine in Malton for emergency treatment.
“It had been a really busy time as we are preparing for our new series of Springtime on the Farm on Channel 5 and we have been filming and getting everything ready for show week,” Rob said.
“We’d been really looking forward to the birth of the foal - it was a huge moment for the farm and something all our fans and followers have been really looking forward to.
“When the foal was first born, everything appeared to go wonderfully well - she was born naturally, this grey filly just what we dreamed of having, she suckled and everything went as well as it could have done. We were very content and went to bed happy farmers.”
Sapphire and the foal are still at Rainbow Equine being treated for Dummy Foal Syndrome - a rare occurrence in which the foal doesn’t realise it has been born.
The usual treatment offered includes expert vets wrapping the foal tightly and then releasing the ropes, in a move meant to simulate the feeling of being born again.
The purpose is to help trigger the foal’s natural instinct - as it triggers the brain.
Rob added: “We thought everything was going seamlessly well, but quite often with farming, something is there to bring you straight back down to earth.
“This has been a bolt from the blue and all you can do is react to events to be in with a fighting chance of saving the foal.
"When you see an animal like that, so beautiful but in so much pain, it’s an awful thing to see - it’s a baby with a tummy ache, it doesn’t understand what’s happening.
“The foal is stable but does have a number of health conditions, because it can’t suckle properly.
“It has been inhaling the milk, which caused significant pneumonia and it has infection in the umbilical cord too but she is in the best place and we are hoping she makes a full recovery.”
Cannon Hall Farm’s Shire Horse Breeding Programme features heavily on the ninth season of Springtime on the Farm airing on Channel 5 at 7pm from Tuesday, April 21 to Friday, April 24, every day.