Life beyond rescue: Meet 22-year-old Yogi

As you read this, around 2,200 of our horses are enjoying a second chance in life through our rehoming scheme, which is the largest of its kind in the UK. In this series of blogs, Life beyond rescue, we meet some of our rehomed horses in their homes across the country.

One of our ponies enjoying a second chance at life is Yogi. The 12.3hh Welsh Cross came to us after his owner was no longer able to provide the care he needed. Following rehabilitation, Yogi was rehomed by Amy in 2007 who enlisted the help of Liz to bring him on as a driving pony, and the pair have been thriving together ever since.

We caught up with Liz to find out more.

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When did your love of horses begin and when did they first come into your life?

“I come from a non-horsey background but from an area where lots of people wanted help with their horses and in particular, an area where lots of people drove horses in the early 1980s. At 14 years old, I was a British Team groom and travelled to Europe many times as a teenager. For two seasons, I worked for HRH Prince Philip with his team of Fell ponies and then went on to run a large livery yard specialising in dressage training of ‘ordinary’ horses. This grounding gave me a ton of experience and especially a love for turning a horse with no real expectation into a nicely schooled one with a bright future.“

Can you tell us how Yogi came into your life…

“My very good friends Amy and Bernie originally rehomed Yogi as a two-year-old. Their patience and expertise gave him an amazing start from being a very nervous baby into a novice driving pony. When Yogi was four years old, they invited me to take over the drive. This came at a time when I was retraining an ex-racehorse to medium level dressage and all those years as a driving groom were behind me. I leaped at the opportunity and then began the most wonderful and somewhat unexpected journey!“

What is Yogi like and how has he enhanced your life?

“I would never have guessed that Yogi would give me the rich experiences that he has. Unbelievably, he is now 22 years old and still going strong after competing last year all the way up at Glamis Castle in Scotland and bringing home reserve champion in good company. Last August he went one better and won overall champion at an event in Mostyn, North Wales.

“He has fulfilled every dream I didn’t even realise I had! Having groomed at top level and schooling other people’s horses, I always wanted to compete myself. Yogi and I grew together through novice level to Open and then onto tandem driving with clever Yogi as the lead pony.

“Yogi always whinnies when he sees me arrive which is just the best thing! For years, he didn’t really want to be near people and in fact, for a while at the start, only Bernie could catch him. He doesn’t really love cuddles but can be persuaded for his favourite apple! Although around 12.3hh, he thinks he’s 15hh! He has the heart of a lion and always tries his heart out. He leaps into the lorry every time and bounces off as if to say, ‘where are we this time, bring it on’! I have never known a pony pose for cameras like he does.

“I am convinced he has the heart of a much bigger horse and despite all the miles. He has the legs of a four-year-old with amazingly no lumps, bumps or issues. I take enormous care to preserve him, and he gets the best of care to prepare for events and my not-so-secret tip? Lots of rest in between. I owe him so much and he is still giving me 100%. In 2018 he won his first National Championships and won again in 2019 and 2021. His CV of displays and rallies and helping people learn to drive is immense. He has gone from shy and nervous to brave and beautiful and I just adore him.”

What would you say is the best thing about rehoming from World Horse Welfare?

“For me this is obvious. The utter fulfilment you get from turning around an animal that was previously unwanted. Nothing is ever a write-off. Yogi’s success was way more than expected which is all the more rewarding. A happy, healthy pony is all we wanted.”

What advice would you give to anyone who is inspired by you to rehome a World Horse Welfare horse?

“Do it! The support is there and this continues at any level that you need. Advice is always just a call away.”

Why do you think the work of World Horse Welfare is so important?

“Anything that improves the lives of horses and ponies in the UK and abroad has got to be good. Education is key and the charity does a brilliant job at raising awareness on all kinds of welfare issues. With horses, there are so many potential forms of neglect. I think World Horse Welfare does so much to educate but also to be there when things go wrong for these precious animals.”

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We are really grateful to all of our wonderful rehomers who offer our horses, ponies, donkeys and mules the loving homes they so desperately deserve. With every horse rehomed, a space is created for another horse to come into our care.

We love hearing your updates, so if you are one of our rehomers and would like to share your story please get in touch today.