Equine Blood Bank

yes they do exist. As per link, they are run by the Home Office. A friend has a horse there and she can go and visit and is happy with it as a solution to not having to have a fairly young horse PTS.
 
There is one in the south of England too, but without looking at my records (it was next to a place I did a horse sit for) I can't remember where it was. It was either Surrey or Hampshire I think. It was May when I was down there and very warm weather, they were all out in huge fields, in separate herds. Can't remember seeing any in bad condition, except a few that were fairly new in and still had a couple of shoes on and breaking hooves. You could tell they were new because they still had pulled manes and shadows where they had been clipped.
 
There's one near us. TBH I would probably not want to send any of my horses here. There are certain types of horses that will thrive and do very well indeed and have a super life eating lush grass in big fields and having their blood taken every now and again, but you have to understand the Blood Banks are literally inundated with people who want to give their unrideable horses to them (they don’t need to advertise themselves!) and they are not a charity - they are doing this as a business.

Once you’ve donated your horse, you give up all rights to see it, or have any say in the way it's kept, etc. If you have a horse who is a bit tricky in any way, ie a little unsociable, or not particularly easy to handle, not keen on the vet, laminitic prone, or a poor doer, etc, then it's not the place to send your horse, as they have enough horses on waiting lists to come in, not to have to spend time dealing with difficult ones. Also, they aren't interested in older horses and once the horses are past their peak, or if they develop an illness meaning their quality of blood is affected, then they are not suitable for use, and they will go for slaughter. The previous owner is unlikely to be informed when that happens.
 
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