Horseytalk.net Special Interview
Susan Ridley
More people are rehoming horses but more people are abandoning them too
As Rehome a Horse Month draws to a close, World Horse Welfare announces some good news – finally more people are rehoming rescue horses.
"So far already this year (to date) we have rehomed 119 horses, that's nearly a 53% rise from last year when we had only rehomed 78 horses by now," says Rehoming Officer for World Horse Welfare, Tanya Element.
"It's really encouraging that more people seem to be turning to rehoming instead of buying a horse now, and it's a breath of fresh air to be telling a positive story."
It's undeniable that the public have pricked up their ears to the many benefits of rehoming a horse, like the fact that you know exactly what you're getting, that you can give the horse back if you have a change in circumstances, and not least, that you are transforming the life of a horse who had a bad start in life.
Of course you get a lifetime of advice and support should you need it and your rehoming efforts will help another horse, another horse, and another just like Cappuccino from one of the charity's four rescue and rehoming centres, Glenda Spooner Farm in Somerset.
Cappy with World Horse Welfare Field Officer
Cappuccino's pictures tell the story alone – skinny to the bone, covered in lice, and with fear in his eyes. He was found in a dark and cramped barn with a group of severely underweight youngsters, their spinal bones and rib cages protruding through their skin as they had been left starving with no food to eat.
[Image, right, shows Cappy with World Horse Welfare Field Officer]
A vet and the RSPCA were called to assist in this case, and after examination – Cappuccino and his pals were deemed as suffering and needed to be removed immediately.
In the first month of this year, and after lengthy rehabilitation, something magical happened. Cappuccino found a new home. As a pleasure competition horse.
Today he lives in the luscious Scottish borders side-by-side another World Horse Welfare horse, Windscott Wendy, who were both rehomed by Susan Ridley.
She says: "The pair are such great characters and incredibly attached to each other. Wendy, the wee one, doesn't like Cappy to be away from her for too long.
"Cappy is a total gentleman, I've never had a single problem with him and he really takes care of Wendy as she is still growing up.
"Cappy likes to roll around in the grass and make all these funny sounds as he does it. He sits on his hind quarters like a dog, it's very unusual but he likes to do it – he sits there quite happily for ages! Amazingly, Wendy even responds to voice commands now."
Susan says that because her paddock isn't big enough for all year round, the pair sometimes stay locally in a nearby field, but they are very nosey!
[Image, shows Cappy after rehab with World Horse Welfare]
"There's a man who rents out some of the land on the back of Cappy and Wendy's field, he told me not too long ago, that the pair of them often poke their heads over the fence and through his window to say hello. It just goes to show how much more trust they have gained around people now that they are safe."
Sadly, although World Horse Welfare is seeing more horses go to their forever homes, the need for those homes shows no signs of letting up.
"Already this year World Horse Welfare has taken in 166 horses compared to 142 in the same period last year – a 17% rise so far," says Tanya.
"In 2013 compared to 2012, for the whole year, we had a 76% rise in new and needy horses coming into centres and we are still dealing with the fallout from that, with many of them still looking for a home to go to.
"What with the horse crisis continuing to place incredible strain on the charity, rehomers like Susan are needed now more than ever. Every time a horse finds a home, a space is created for another in a desperate situation."
Don't forget about the charity's newly released 'project horse and pony' category that allows you to turn horses around yourselves. This means that you get to experience the truly remarkable effects of rehabilitating a horse from desperate beginnings to a future of happiness.