Anyone here have a rescue horse? What's your story!

Popos

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 January 2014
Messages
141
Visit site
I'm pretty new to this forum so thought I'd see if there were some on here in similar position to me!

All ours are a sort of rescue in some way or another.

We started off my taking on two miniature shetties after their owner could no longer care for them. Took on a third miniature when a local school wanted rid and no one would take her on. Finally got a 'real' horse this year, a 17hh Irish draught x after another local school couldn't use him and couldn't keep him any longer, they had rescued him after his owner was going to have him shot when he went lame (ex eventer-16yrs). They kept him out of work for a year and he is now my happy hacker and I love him to bits! He looks rather funny next to the miniatures.

I've been riding for over 20 yrs but this is my first year of being a horse owner and I'm learning more every day. We've had the minis for approx 5 years.

After a year off he is doing well now and has enjoyed the occasional canter. I'm hoping to get him back into work a little more in the summer and have some grand ideas of competing in novice dressage with him to end his days. Plan is to keep him here as his forever home and he can become a companion at some point that I'm allowed and feel confident enough to have a bought horse!
 

Highlands

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2012
Messages
2,409
Visit site
My traddie cob is my rescue! Daisy was owned by next door, brought from a dealer. She was really poor and continued to loose weight. I saw her and liked her alot. In the winter we move up to our village so did not see her. Phone call on a cold April morning to be told a pony was in the brook. Ours were fine but Daisy had foaled and baby was in the brook , -4 on the ground. D came to live with us with Splash her foal, the foal survived an immunity problem ( can't remember what it was called but foals anti- bodies attacked her body, we had to do a blood transfusion in a muddy field as owner refused hospital) Sadly things did not work out with owners and D was not fed etc, she was so poor. Finally 5 months later the owner sold both to me .

Took 12 months for D to look better, she went from 14.1 to 15.1 in a year, splash is now 4! Sadly her owner has just passed away but his nephew has her now! D did us proud in 2012 and won the TGCA ( tradional gypsy cob association) Rescue Cob of The Year.
 

windand rain

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2012
Messages
8,517
Visit site
Not owned one but fostered two for a while. Collected them for the rescue as they had been abandoned by their loaner when the family split up very close to christmas and the remaining partner didnt know how to care for them. I collected them on boxing day an ancient mare and her 2 year old filly The filly didnt box as she had not been halter broken or handled much at all but finally with a lot of help and following her mum we got her on the lorry. The rescue had an issue with collecting them so they stayed with me until summer when against the rescues loaning rules both had foals they were then collected and found permanent homes. The person who had them originally had covered a mare in her late twenties and a two year old It was so sad. I thik all went well but haven't asked as it would infringe the needs of the rescue. I still support the rescue when I can.
They both left here happy healthy chubby and leading and loading for their new owners they were very sweet and they were very easy to do The rescue were very supportive and it was a series of accidents and incidents that left them here as long as they were
 

Shantara

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 August 2009
Messages
7,367
Location
Milton Keynes
Visit site
I do! I didn't rescue him though, my old YO did :)

She was very hardcore and level headed when it came to horses and not one for being "mushy", but when she saw Ned and realised what his fate would be if she didn't bid on him...her heart melted and she won him for £600.
He was a scruffy, skinny and very plain Standardbred, with scars, a broken nose and all the skin off his back was gone due to an accident in the trailer, it was just a pus filled mess! He would have been dog food by now if she hadn't raised her hand in the auction room.

She brought him back to her yard, where a lad fell in love with him. I hated him lol! When his back was better and he was re-started (though later I found out he was never actually broken to ride!) I rode him 3 times and said "Never again!!!!!"
YO took this as a challenge and made me ride him every time I went up to the yard. At first, I hated even looking at him. He meant a bad ride for me and I meant work for him.
Over time, I started to warm to him and him to me, it didn't take long before YO didn't have to tell me to get his tack out - I was already there! I loved riding him and had got used to his VERY funny way of working.

He was still a challenge though, I couldn't hack him alone or even ride him in the school alone! He reared a lot and was a pain in the bum to groom etc. Everyone questioned why I loved him, but truth be told I didn't even know!

His lad stopped coming up as much, so I took it upon myself (with YO's blessing) to work with him and make him into a model citizen. It was hard going, with plenty of arguments, but eventually I was able to ride him in the school alone and going for in-hand walks around the village :)

Fast forward and I started riding him out, we went for miles together! When we had our first gallop - it was amazing! I was so nervous because in company, he was so strong to gallop, but I pulled him up just by sitting up in the saddle :)

Then the worst and best thing happened. YO announced she was leaving forever, to the Caribbean and all the horses were being loaned and sold. I was heartbroken, she had taught me so much over the years. She said I could buy Ned for £400 when I was able and I saved every penny.

Then, on 12.12.12 I got a present from her, with a card. Inside the card, it said "If you could close your eyes and wish for anything, what would it be" My heart stopped and I just cried. The present was Ned's passport - he was MINE!! I will never forget YO and what she did for me <3

Things went ok for a little while, we hacked out as usual, until he suddenly went lame.
Things with the YM soured and I moved him. It broke my heart to leave that yard, so many memories. I'd been there since I was 9 years old (now 23). Apparently, Ned didn't like the new, posh yard I'd taken him too and jumped the fence and ran home. You may be able to find the thread on here if you look, it's called "Urgent - Neds escaped!!" or something!
Through the hard work of the wonderful people of this site and a few IRL friends, Ned was found safe and sound.
We went back to our old yard, but neither of us were happy.

Fast forward again - we're now in a field with a funny little Shetland friend and I couldn't be happier! He's as bombproof as anything and a true gentleman.

I even found out about his life before he came to YO and me. He was owned by a nasty lady, who didn't keep her horses well. There were dead horses, stallions, mares, foals all crammed together. She got the horses taken off her by the RSPCA and a lovely lady helped Ned through abscesses in 3 hooves!!
His owner sadly won the case and got them back, but didn't keep them long. The nice lady presumed him and his brother were dead, but after posting on facebook, she found he was alive and well!! A month or so ago, we also came across his brother, who's also doing very well!!


My god, that turned into a whole life story LOL!!! Time for pictures :D

NedBeforeAfter.jpg

DSCF0766_zpscd0b2525.jpg

IMG_2505_zps63be0bb1.jpg

DSCF1849_zps936f2fab.jpg
 

Highlands

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 May 2012
Messages
2,409
Visit site
Ah, that's a lovely story! So you have daisy and splash is with the nephew?

Sorry re read and left a bit out!

when we weaned Splash she went to play at uncle petes ( not my uncle) whose nephew Dave had two foals to wean. They ended up buying Splash off me but I kept Daisy! My only non highland!
 

Popos

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 January 2014
Messages
141
Visit site
Great story Chan! Fab pics too. He looks a lovely boy.

That makes sense highlands, with you now!

It's still early days for me, only had him since the summer and not had much good weather to ride him in. I'm looking forward to getting to know him more over the spring/summer and trust him (I'm quite a nervous rider when alone). Whilst i enjoy riding him, I love taking him out with hacks with other people on. He waits for me and stops when I stop etc. I'm sure that sounds stupid, but it's like he really knows he's mine. He doesn't do this for anyone else.
 

Popos

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 January 2014
Messages
141
Visit site
Haha. Maybe that's it! He was an affiliated show jumper in his time, but was treated like a motorbike. I don't think he's been this spoilt before!
 

lhotse

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 August 2006
Messages
2,943
Visit site
My welsh mountain pony is a rescue.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2144820.stm
She came from this place, she was one of the lucky ones. We didn't get her direct from there, she was living in someone's garage when we bought her!! She was looked after there though.
We have also rescued a couple of ponies from a field in a rather rough area of Bristol, one just needed worming and he was rehomed quickly, the other was skin and bone, with no circulation to his legs and needed glucose powder just to give him the strength to eat. It took a long time for him to put weight on, but he did. He was the most loving pony ever, even though he had been beaten and ridden by a rather overweight 18 yr old (he was aged 2 and about 11.2)...
We kept him for about 18 months then he went to a lovely home for life with children who love him.
The RSPCA had walked away from these two on previous occasions and we were going to go back for a third mare who was in appalling condition but she was taken from the field and found tied to a tree in an inner city park, so the RSPCA did eventually take her from the owner.
We also had a rescued donkey for a time, he came from the travellers. The ponies hated him!!
 

flurryjuno

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 April 2013
Messages
381
Location
Co.Down
Visit site
A few years ago a about 6/7 gypsy horses got out from where they were being kept by the road and went wild. I think three were hit by lorries including Flurry's mum. Heard it on the local news etc and that was it. About 6 months later (2009) we were up at the local rescue center looking at dogs (always had at least four rescue dogs in the house lol) and up in the hill I see a pony plodding along with a tail nearly longer than himself and a mane packed full of burrs. Of course that ended up with me gurning to my mum (I was 12) and we went up to see them. Only three cobs were left from the seven I think that were there, and the people looking after them until the court case was done had no idea what to do with them so they were basically untouched babies. They said they were getting bales of hay thrown out to them every now and again but judging by the two others who were absolute tanks, the little one wasn't getting fed as he was skin and bones. Which of course is the one I wanted. Fast forward a few days and we had a new pony for £100, who had to have each foot lifted individually to get him on the trailer. He came home, had a muck about with my other one then decided humans were terrifying.

Left me everyday tying him up in the yard and working around him, dodging his kicks and feeling his glare on my back. When I wormed him he went up on both legs and hit me on the shoulder, he would try and double barrel you at feeding time and would charge you in the field. Thinking about it now I probably should have been supervised but my parents really just left me to my own devices lol. Then one day it just clicked for him, after a year he just decided to follow me everywhere, lift all four feet, work around him in the stable, sit on him in the field, he'd come flying to you with just a call etc. That year I broke him in (he was rising 3 now) went for little danders up the road, a few danders up the beach and a few trots in the field. Left him out for a few months to mature and by summer we did all the shows! He's not the prettiest, and is a right little fatty most of the time and I got quite a lot of comments on why I was riding a gypsy horse when my other pony was at home (he was jumping 1.20m tracks and was quite impressive if I may say so;)) I just loved him! He would do anything I asked, our first showing class we came 3rd, the second year we came 2nd. He jumped the 50cm course clear even though he'd never seen fillers before which progressed to the 90cm course 'for the laugh' which he jumped clear if cat leaps count:D

Did everything with him, but when my parents got divorced my mum was annoyed I moved in with my dad and 'got rid' of my ponies. I found him a few months later no bother but I was really sick at them time and my aunt was looking for a bombproof pony for my cousin to ride on so dad made me give him to them 'for a few weeks' but thats a whole different thing that we're now going to court over:mad: Hopefully he's back this year and we get back to where we left off, I have a new horse now but I'm still planning on doing everything with him. Sorry its long! Here's pictures in attempted chronological order:p

attachment.php

attachment.php

attachment.php
attachment.php

attachment.php
attachment.php
attachment.php

attachment.php
 

khalswitz

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 May 2012
Messages
3,496
Location
NE Scotland
Visit site
Mine is a rescue. Got taken by te sspca when they arrived off the ferry from Ireland - around 20 horses on board, several with forged passports, not in the best nick, and a whole load of cocaine stashed underneath the lorry. My lad happened to be an exracer whom they picked up cheap. Wasn't in an awful state, mud fevery and needing groceries but not bad.
 

LauraWheeler

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 June 2009
Messages
4,930
Visit site
Lovely storys everyone. It's nice to see some wonderful transformations. :D

Have you got a cup of tea ;)

This is my amazing Lucy's story

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...e-one-in-8-million-pony&highlight=Lucys+story

and this is how it ends :(

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...-beautiful-Angel-The-brightest-star-in-heaven

Herbie. Who came to me so messed up. This video doesn't realy show just how bad he was when he first came to me. The first few attemps at loading ended up with my boss nearly getting her head kicked in. Lunging resulted in me nearly getting my head kicked in, Grooming resulted in cuts and bruses from him kicking and biting me and riding was impossable. But despite all this I knew I had to give him a chance just like I did with Lucy.

[video=youtube_share;sQuqVyW1sK8]http://youtu.be/sQuqVyW1sK8[/video]


And last but by no means least my very diffrent rescue Merryn. Rescued from an owner who loved him to much. He was given to me for free as he'd been obice his whole life and had finaly surcomed to laminitas and his owner just couldn't cope with looking after him anymore or manage his weight to prevent him getting lami again.

[video=youtube_share;Qzd23zMPOLw]http://youtu.be/Qzd23zMPOLw[/video]
 
Top