Seven young horses are thriving after being saved from a terrible situation

In 2024, seven young horses came into the care of our Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre after our Field Officer Rachel Andrews worked alongside the RSPCA, the Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team, and the BHS to rescue 41 horses from a terrible situation. The youngsters were initially reluctant to interact with the Penny Farm grooms at all, having arrived relatively unhandled. Now, however, they’ve been transformed by patient, expert care and most have found loving new homes already.

“In February 2024, we found a lot of underweight horses on site and, sadly, even a dead horse lying in one paddock,” says Field Officer Rachel Andrews. “Due to the severity of the welfare issues at the location, the RSPCA and I returned with an equine vet and the police to make a full assessment of all the horses.”

“They weren’t being fed enough and there was no proper worming programme in place, so many of the horses were struggling with worm burdens. Several of the mares in the stables were extremely underweight and there was a foal who was absolutely skeletal,” recalls Rachel.

“I’ve never seen such a thin foal still standing – it was heartbreaking.”

Observations and examinations by the vet revealed that the horses living out in the fields at the property ranged from lean to emaciated, with a number also suffering from a painful skin condition called rain scald. “When we returned, we found a lot more horses on site than I’d thought after that first visit. I’d estimated there were around 20 horses there, but we found 41 in total,” Rachel adds.

The vet confirmed that the horses needed to be removed from the location to alleviate the suffering of the poorest and prevent the suffering of the remaining horses. The horses were taken into possession by the police, enabling them to be removed to a place of safety so they could start getting the treatment they urgently needed. The horses’ former owner ultimately pleaded guilty to the animal welfare charges brought against him and was banned from keeping all horses for life. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and a rehabilitation course.

Despite their awful start in life, the seven youngsters blossomed in the care of the Penny Farm team, transforming into happy, healthy young horses with a bright future ahead. “The team worked incredibly hard to gain all seven horses’ trust, as they were really quite wary of humans when they first arrived here,” explains Penny Farm Centre Manager Adam Cummins.

“Once they’d started to trust their grooms, they came on in leaps and bounds – their progress was amazing. It was wonderful to see them coming out of their shells and their personalities emerging as their confidence grew. Once they were ready for rehoming, most of the horses quickly found experienced homes where they could continue their education. We’re looking forward to following their progress in their new homes.”

Rehoming is vital to make space for more horses in need to be rescued by World Horse Welfare – and this winter, that space could be lifesaving. Anyone interested in offering a loving home to one of the horses and ponies ready for rehoming now can check out our rehoming pages.