Over the year, 154 horses found new families.
Horse rescue charity Redwings rehoused a record number of horses and ponies in 2022, with 154 finding new homes.
In a successful year for the charity, 109 horses and ponies were offered a home within the Redwings Sanctuary. The Redwings field officers intervened in 175 welfare cases over the year, ultimately improving the conditions of 622 horses.
Horses in Redwings' care are rehomed as either ridden ponies, non-ridden companions or unbacked projects, and are rehomed on a long-term loan agreement.
Rachel Angell, who heads up Redwings' rehoming scheme, said: “We’re delighted with these rehoming numbers, and that so many Redwings ponies have found lovely new lives with Redwings Guardians in 2022. The numbers only tell half the story of the work that teams from across Redwings do to find happy new homes for our horses though.
“Teams from across our sites highlight horses that they think would be suitable to rehome, and then rehoming teams at sites across Norfolk, Essex and Warwickshire, begin the thorough training programme to prepare them.
“Meanwhile our veterinary team ensure all the rehoming equines also have health checks, and routine dentals and vaccinations, whilst the charity’s field officers carry out home assessments to ensure new homes are a good fit – all supported by colleagues at our headquarters who handle all the administration of the scheme too!”
In the past year, five rescues got their new beginning as riding school ponies at Turpins Lodge Riding School in Oxfordshire. One of these was Jonesy, a 14 hand, eight-year-old cob. Jonesy was born at Redwings when his mother Bridget was found in a cargo container in Norfolk in a bad condition.
Owner of Turpins Lodge, Caroline Catling, shared how Jonesy is getting on at his new home: “The ponies we have had from Redwings have all settled in so well, and were backed and riding away fairly quickly.
“All the work the Redwings team had put in, including preparing them for the vet, farrier, dentist and innumerable handling situations, meant they were set up for success, and made our life much easier.
“Our experience with Jonesy showed just that when, on only his first or second hack once backed, he was being ridden through the village and encountered a cement mixer, by some roadworks, and where the road was really narrow.
“He just walked straight past as if to say ‘Bring it on!’ and that was a perfect sign for us that he was going to be a good fit for the riding school.”
Rachel continued: “Redwings is 100% funded by donations, so all of this is only made possible by our kind supporters, and it really is a crucial way we can continue to make capacity in the Sanctuary to continue to help horses who desperately need us.”
Image (C) Redwings
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
