Why you should consider rehoming a horse, rather than buying
It’s not just abandoned and abused horses who seek refuge at an equine charity. Stephanie Bateman visits a little-known centre in Worcestershire and finds out why rehoming is such a good option for everyone involved
WHEN IAN DAILEY’S wife suddenly passed away six months ago, she left behind two dressage horses that he didn’t know how to care for. Not wanting to sell the horses, Ian looked for alternative options, and happened across Hopton Rehab and Homing Centre in Worcestershire. “The horses were my wife’s passion and I didn’t want to sell them to complete strangers and lose track of them, but I couldn’t keep them either,” explains Ian. “When I heard of Hopton Rehab and Homing, it sounded like the ideal situation because they follow the same ethos as my wife when it comes to the care of horses. They keep a lot of their horses barefoot and like them to live out as much as possible — and the fact that the centre would always own them was a big plus too, so we always know what is happening to them. “It’s been a massive weight off my mind knowing that they have a home for life and are being well cared for. It’s what my wife would have wanted.” Rehoming can be the perfect option for anyone looking for a new horse. Not only are you helping the hundreds of charities full to bursting with unwanted horse and ponies, but you’ll also be giving an equine another chance at life. “We’ve been running our rehoming project for a year and it’s our passion,” says Hopton’s trustee Sarah Roberts. “We’re slightly different from other charities in that we don’t take on welfare cases, only horses who are in good working order, but whose owners can no longer look after them. We then set about finding them suitable new homes.” Horses come into the centre for all sorts of reasons. “Most of them come to us because they aren’t suitable for their current home or their owner’s circumstances have changed, but mostly, they are well looked after and come to us in fantastic condition,” explains Sarah. “For example, a lady fell ill and could no longer care for her two horses who were both well bred and worth a lot of money. They’ve gone to lovely homes where they are having great success.”
New beginnings
When Liz Coulton’s two horses could no longer hack out, she set about finding a new horse. “I wanted something I could enjoy going out on rides with and when a friend of mine, Bev, mentioned there was an open day at Hopton, we went to take a look. “I spotted Major, a 15.1hh Appaloosa
“There are so many more horses needing homes than we can take in, and it’s quite upsetting”
cross gelding, and instantly liked him. He had such a lovely kind face and his sweet character really stood out. We arranged to go and ride him and I took him out for a hack. We got on really well so Bev brought him home for me. “Two weeks later, I sadly lost my father. Major really helped me with the loss and lifted my spirits. He’s such a lovely boy and has really changed my life.” Since its inception last year, Hopton has successfully rehomed 27 horses, but still has 32 horses looking for new homes. “Some horses come in and are gone within a few weeks, whereas others are with us for a couple of years,” says Sarah. “We try to give each new horse at least four weeks so that we can fully assess them, but some need a longer period of rehabilitation, which can be as simple as six months out in the field. We give each horse as long as they need.” Sarah is part of a dedicated team at Hopton, made up of Lin Marriott-Lodge, Tracy Cooper, Ruth Holt and Kim Rawlings. “Our system is bespoke for horses that come in and bespoke for horses that go out,” explains Tracy. “Each horse is treated as an individual and we meet their individual requirements and ensure they get the same treatment at their new home.”
The rehoming process
The centre’s philosophy is that horses spend 24/7 turned out in a herd with other horses and, if possible, are kept barefoot. “We like the horses to unwind and ‘be horses’ when they arrive here so we can start their rehoming process with a clean slate. Some are so wound up that if we started working them, it could end in disaster. Keeping them barefoot is better for their hooves and saves us a lot of money in farrier costs,” explains Sarah. Although each charity will do things slightly differently, the basic rehoming process is similar across the board. “People get in touch to ask what we’ve got, and we tell them to look on the website and fill out our application form, which gives us the information we need to match them to potential horses,” says Sarah. “We then
“It’s been a massive weight off my mind knowing that the horses have a home for life. It’s what my wife would have wanted”
decide which horse we think might be suitable and they come over and we meet them. They watch the horse being ridden and then come back and try the horse. “We ask people to try the horse as many times as possible — the more the better and in as many different situations. We box the horses to a local arena so they can see them loaded onto the lorry, they hack them out, bring their trainer for a lesson on the horse and come back as many times as they like.”
A transparent system
Sarah says the bespoke trial scheme makes the rehoming process transparent. “We have nothing to hide and we want potential owners to see the horses, warts and all. We aren’t trying to offload any of them; we want them to go to the right person for the right reasons. “Some will come and ride twice before making their decision, and others come and try them for a few months until we’re sure they’re ready.” Once a potential rehomer has decided they would like the horse, the centre carries out a home visit to check where he will be kept. If everything’s OK, the horse is delivered. “We do a monthly visit, then a six-monthly visit and then an annual one to check everything is going OK,” says Sarah. “We’re also always on the phone to help out and visit if a problem arises. That’s another benefit over buying a horse — we offer a
continuous aftercare package and, if things don’t go to plan, we have the horse back, no questions asked.” Although the new owners are fully responsible for the care of the horse, both in terms of welfare and all costs, the centre retains full ownership. “We ask for a rehoming fee of between £150 to £900 depending on the horse, and a monthly fee of around £15 to help with ongoing costs,” states Sarah. “There’s a 14-day period where the owner can return the horse and get a full refund. After that period of time, they can still send the horse back, but they don’t get their money back.” Liz Coulton adds that this monthly fee helps her feel she’s giving something back. “It’s lovely to think that I’m helping other horses through my monthly donation,” she smiles. “I’d recommend rehoming to anybody because there are so many horses out there needing homes. If ever my circumstances change, the centre will have the horse back, which is a comforting thought. They’ve made me a very happy lady.”
A home for life
Once a horse is handed over to the centre, they have a home for the rest of their days. “We always maintain ownership, and there will come a time when these horses are too old and can’t be ridden anymore, so they’ll spend their retirement out in our fields,” says Sarah. “There’s such a need out there,” adds Tracy. “There are so many more needing homes than we can take in, and it’s quite upsetting. These horses are much loved and come in in amazing condition. “Some people can no longer look after their horse or don’t have the money to look after them, but they don’t want to go through the painful process of selling them and not knowing where they are going to end up, so they send them to us. It gives them peace of mind to know their horse will never end up on the open market and in the wrong hands.”