Rehabilitating rescue horses
Every horse that comes into our care is looked after by the dedicated and experienced teams at our four UK Rescue and Rehoming Centres, alongside a range of professionals including vets, farriers, dentists and physiotherapists.
On arrival, each and every horse goes into isolation until our vets are confident they are not carrying any conditions or diseases which could pass onto other horses. While in isolation, they are given any immediate treatment they need. All new arrivals will get a thorough check from the vet and farrier, and their treatment plan is tailor-made according to what they need.
Some of the horses which arrive with us will need intensive care, and all will get that special one-to-one treatment they deserve. Emaciated horses will be tested to establish whether there is an underlying medical reason for their condition, or whether it has come about simply through lack of nutrition. Whatever the reason, the team must go about any weight gain very carefully - if a starving horse is suddenly given lots of food, it can trigger serious health problems.
Some horses come to us because of problems with their feet, such as overgrown hooves. If horses have been walking on severely overgrown hooves for some time they can develop joint and limb problems. Our vets, farriers and physiotherapists work closely together to treat these horses in the best possible way, and it can take many months for them to fully recover.
It is our hope that every horse and pony in our care can be rehomed as a ridden or driven animal. However, if for any reason they can't be ridden, we would hope to rehome them as a companion.
Sometimes despite all our efforts, horses are unable to recover or suffer serious health issues which would prevent them from having a good quality of life. In these cases, we follow the advice of our vets and euthanase the horse to relieve it from suffering.
