World Horse Welfare RoR pilot scheme sees first horse rehomed
World Horse Welfare’s pilot scheme with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) has reached a milestone as Wold’s Agent (Ollie), the first horse to join the scheme, has found a new home.
Posted on 16/09/2015

The collaborative pilot scheme was devised to use World Horse Welfare’s expertise in preparing horses for new lives and finding new homes for them through its rehoming scheme which is the largest of its kind in the UK. Funded by RoR, the scheme is in addition to World Horse Welfare’s existing UK rescue and rehoming operations and led to the appointment of specialist groom, Emma Sawyers, who previously worked at the Darley Racehorse Rehoming and Retraining Centre and now retrains the horses on the RoR pilot scheme at World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm in Norfolk.
Ollie arrived at World Horse Welfare’s Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in January this year to undergo rehabilitation with Emma. Ollie had a short racing career, running a total of five times before he was purchased by a lady who began his training outside of the racing world. Unfortunately, due to an injury she became unable to care for him and so he joined the World Horse Welfare ROR pilot scheme.
Following physiotherapy and pole work to develop and rebuild muscle tone, Ollie’s ridden work progressed quickly and after a few months he began to take part in low-level dressage competitions receiving high placings each time. Once he joined World Horse Welfare’s rehoming scheme, Ollie received a lot of interest from potential rehomers but Rossdales Equine Hospital secretary, Rachel Clay, turned out to be the perfect candidate.
“I have been riding for almost 30 years in a range of disciplines but since becoming a mother I have been taking things easy with just hacking and light hunting. Now the children are older I was keen to find a horse which would help me get back into competing and rehoming seemed like the ideal solution. Ollie has settled into his new home with us beautifully and it is clear that he has been impeccably schooled during his time at World Horse Welfare. I’m really excited for us to start our dressage career together!”
Rachel Clay, rehomer
“Ollie’s successful rehoming is an important milestone in the RoR pilot scheme and we are delighted that he is going to a home where he will be able to build on his dressage success. We have also recently added Freddie, another of the horses from the scheme to our rehoming website and it’s encouraging to see him already receiving a number of applications.
“We are very pleased with the success of the pilot scheme so far.”
Tony Tyler, World Horse Welfare Deputy Chief Executive
“As British Racing’s official charity for ensuring the welfare of former racehorses, we are committed to being able to provide for those former racehorses that face an uncertain future.
“Through the pilot scheme we are developing with World Horse Welfare, together with our existing network of retraining centres, we have in place a structure that enables former racehorses that might otherwise be at risk of becoming vulnerable to be looked after, retrained and rehomed.
“We are delighted that Ollie has been found a new home following his spell under the expert care of World Horse Welfare and we hope the pilot scheme will evolve into a longstanding alliance and working relationship.”
Di Arbuthnot, Retraining of Racehorses Chief Executive
September 2015 is World Horse Welfare’s annual Rehome a horse month which shines a light on the horses and ponies who are looking for homes but also showcases the stories of the 1,700 World Horse Welfare horses and ponies currently out in homes around the country from those competing at eventing, dressage, vaulting and showjumping to pleasure driving, hacking, side-saddle and those who provide faithful friendship to their rehomers and equine companions.
Topics
Related News

Dumped in a ditch at a day old, Charley is now ready for the world
Nine months later, she has recovered, recently been rehomed and can look forward to a bright future.

Pony who suffered horrific injury is now farm favourite
Moses has been transformed into a stunning, cheeky young cob and is now Sponsor a Stableyard cover star.
Recommended Blog Posts

Autumn worm control: which worms should you test for?
Field Officer Chris Shaw explains which worms you should be testing for in the autumn – and why it’s so important to test before treating.

The Trafficked 20 – life in our care
Our Hall Farm Manager fills us in on how the horses rescued from illegal smuggling have settled into our care and continue to recover.

Meet some of our often-unsung heroes on Groom Appreciation Day – Kathryn at Hall Farm
"It can be quite the emotional rollercoaster, ranging from the joy of a horse being rehomed to the perfect long-term home, to the pain of seeing a severely neglected foal lose its battle to live."
Enjoy reading stories like this?
Join over 65,000 other horse lovers and sign up for our email newsletter

Join over 65,000 other horse lovers and sign up for our email newsletter
Sign me up now