The Horse Trust sponsorship scheme offers new hope to rescued horses
Last updated 8/23/2010 1:58:50 PM
The Horse Trust sponsorship scheme offers new hope to rescued horses
A personalised horse sponsorship scheme has been launched which enables individuals or companies to sponsor the full costs of looking after a rescued horse at a sanctuary.
Unlike horse adoption schemes run by other charities, The Horse Trust is only looking for one sponsor for each horse. Each sponsor will be asked to pay around £3,000 annually.
Sponsors will be sent regular updates and photos of their horse and can visit their horse at the sanctuary, getting a personal tour from a member of staff.
Susan Lewis, from The Horse Trust, said: "This scheme is targeted at horse lovers who are able to commit to a larger annual payment and would like a more personal relationship with the horse they're sponsoring."
The scheme's first sponsor is Victoria Casey, who lives in the Barossa Valley, South Australia. After a visit to the Horse Trust she was determined to sponsor ‘Red', one of the ponies rescued from a farm in Amersham. Of the more then 100 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from the farm in January 2008, the 14 considered most ‘at-risk' were taken to The Horse Trust at Speen , Buckinghamshire .
This group were too weak to travel further and required extensive veterinary treatment to help them recover. Victoria, who has two rescue horses at her home in Australia, first heard about the farm rescue in Spring 2008. She followed the court case over the next year and in Autumn 2009, during a business trip to UK, visited The Horse Trust to meet some of the horses.
Matthew, one of the charity's grooms, introduced her to Red Red, a 14.2hh, older gelding, that was severely underweight when he arrived at The Horse Trust. He gained 71kg in his first four months at the sanctuary and is now in good health, although he is still shy around humans.
"When I stood at his stable door Red promptly turned his back on me and moved to the far corner," said Victoria. "The fact that he did not seek out the casual touch of a stranger was perfectly understandable given what he must have endured. After that unimaginable experience, I didn't want him to be loaded on a truck again and to have to adjust to a new environment. So many people were appalled by the case, yet in sponsoring Red I feel I have done something positive for the ‘victims'. I wanted Red to remain where he feels secure, with the equine friends he's made since his rescue," said Victoria.
Victoria describes Red as a "modern day Black Beauty", because of his "greatly fallen circumstances and happy ending". As well as sponsoring Red for the remainder of his life, Victoria has chosen to sponsor another horse, partially blind mare Angel, for six months, in the hope that this will provide enough time for another sponsor to be found and for her to be able to stay.
"I did not actually meet Angel during my visit, but was familiar with her story. She too has found sanctuary at The Horse Trust and I hope that someone else will be able to ensure that she can stay there by supporting the costs of her care" said Victoria. "Each of these horses has a sorry tale to tell. What is important now is for us to provide them with a secure future. We owe them that."
The Horse Trust, founded in 1886, is the oldest horse charity in the UK. It is committed to a programme of welfare, science and education and is the largest provider of grant funding for equine welfare in the United Kingdom. The Trust funds research into equine diseases; gives grants to help build and equip equine hospitals throughout the country and works to raise awareness of the importance of cost, care and commitment to responsible horse ownership.
The Horse Trust also manages The Home of Rest for Horses which, funded solely by donations and legacies, provides lifetime sanctuary for more than 100 retired working horses, ponies and donkeys from many different backgrounds.
For more information about The Horse Trust's sponsorship scheme and the horses that are available, contact the charity on 01494 488 464 or info@horsetrust.org.uk