Life beyond rescue: Canna’s story

Six months after finding her perfect home with Ashley Close and her family, 13.2hh cob mare Canna has formed an incredible relationship with her nine-year-old jockey, Mitchell. From hacking for miles to beach rides and even a trip to the local pub, the pair have achieved a number of milestones together already.

Canna, now ten years old, came into our care along with 19 other little cobs in 2018 and was originally rehomed as a youngster once she’d completed her rehabilitation. She was much loved and remained in her home for six years, only being reluctantly returned due to a change in her rehomer’s circumstances.

After being assessed again by the team at Belwade Farm, it was clear that Canna had the potential to make a great children’s pony. When she was ready, Canna went onto our rehoming website, where she was soon spotted by Ashley.

*Ashley spotted Canna on our website and thought she was the perfect pony for them.*

The start of an incredible rehoming journey

Having first rehomed from our charity back in 1997, Ashley has given four of our horses and ponies a loving home over the years. She took on 14.2hh Arab mare Vinni as a three-year-old and has had her for an incredible 21 years and counting!

*Ashley rehomed Vinni, who is now 24, as a youngster in 2005.*

Being so familiar with the benefits of rehoming, it was second-nature to Ashley to check out our website when she was looking for a children’s pony to join her herd. She says:

“As soon as I saw Canna, I thought she sounded perfect for us. Mitchell had been riding my older mare but reached the stage where she wanted to do a bit less and he wanted to do a bit more, and so our search began.

“I applied for Canna and when we went up to Belwade Farm to meet her, Mitchell was instantly taken with her. They had a go in the arena and then went out for a little hack and that was that, we knew she was the one!”

Building a relationship between pony and rider

Once Canna joined the family, Mitchell was very keen to get to know his new pony and the pair quickly formed a bond. Through groundwork, hacking and new experiences together, their confidence in one another has flourished.

Ashley says:

“They’ve learned so much together in just six months, when I stop and think about it. Once we got a saddle for Canna, the pair very quickly started coming out with me on my horse and have explored miles and miles of countryside since then. When we first took Canna to the beach, that was another new experience for her, but she took confidence from my horse and Mitchell absolutely loved it.

“Since Canna arrived, Mitchell has learned so much about how horses react, what they might find frightening – such as plastic bags! – and what you need to do in different situations to keep you and your pony safe.”

*Canna and Mitchell have learned so much in their first six months together.*

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Canna has well and truly stolen her young jockey’s heart and Mitchell was recently heard to say:

“She’s just the best pony – I do like other ponies too but I wouldn’t want to ride another one as Canna is just the best!”

Clocking up the miles as their relationship thrives

Inspired by seeing other family members doing long distance rides, Mitchell is keen to do the same and finds exploring the countryside much more fun than being in an arena. Ashley says:

“We rode from home to the next village and back again, via the pub for a lemonade, and Mitchell was so pleased with Canna. She’s quite a spirited little thing, so she’s a lot of fun, but she was also very happy to just stand and relax with Mitchell while we were at the pub. I can’t wait to see what the pair of them get up to together as their relationship becomes even stronger – they really are best friends.”

Canna and Mitchell have recently taken part in their first official long-distance rides together, clocking up an impressive 19km on their second event. They had a wonderful time and Mitchell said afterwards: “I’m so proud of Canna!”

*Mitchell has learned lots about taking care of his pony, both at home and out at events.*

For Ashley, Canna’s success is just the latest chapter in nearly three decades of rehoming with World Horse Welfare. Seeing Mitchell grow in confidence alongside Canna has reinforced what she already knew: giving a rescued horse or pony a second chance can be rewarding for the whole family.

Feeling inspired to rehome after reading Canna and Mitchell’s story? Check out our rehoming pages now.