Hillside Sanctuary takes on ponies rescued from another rescue

Fairynuff

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 March 2004
Messages
4,998
Location
italy
Visit site
why did Hillside take them on if they themselves have to beg for hay? Sooner or later someone will have to rescue Hillsides rescues :( Bloody mess the whole scene. The only way to sort it out and remove all suffering is to stop breeding and in the meantime....OPEN UP MORE SLAUGHTER HOUSES!!!
 

Norfolk Pie

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 December 2012
Messages
157
Visit site
Oh for gods sake.
"the proprietor of the sanctuary was then, astonishingly, told she must sign over some of the surviving animals, including these ten ponies, to a meat dealer in order to avoid being prosecuted"

"Amazingly, this catalogue of events wasn’t the beginning of these ponies’ tormented lives. Before all this, they had PREVIOUSLY been rescued from slaughter by ANOTHER Welsh sanctuary who had also been closed down after animals there were found neglected and dying. After being so badly let down so many times in the past, for these ponies, and thanks to your support, Hillside is their third and final rescue home"

Now they get to live at Hillside, where a few months ago they couldn't even afford hay for what they've got.

The whole situation in the uk is tragic. It doesn't matter how many are saved, until a substantial number are culled, the cycle will just keep going round and round. Rehome them by all means, or if no future PTS. Don't just "save" them to drain resources from other animals that are suffering.
 

thatsmygirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 May 2010
Messages
4,341
Visit site
Why what's the background on hillside? Isn't it normal for rescue centres to ask for donations etc to help run, don't see it begging for hay more a general appeal for anybody wishing to donate, unless there's more going on that I don't know about
 

Amaranta

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 January 2011
Messages
1,980
Visit site
It seems that Hillside have 750 animals and no policy of rehoming :(

I feel their intentions are good but worry that they will reach breaking point soon.
 

OWLIE185

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 June 2005
Messages
3,535
Visit site
I would suggest that with the amount of animals that they care for they require very serious financial resources to pay for them on a day to day bases. Many charities are finding that the present economic climate has resulted in a reduction of charitable gifts to them and they are having to take great care to balance their books. This could well mean that many animal charities are unable to take on any more needy animals which is a great shame. The only people that can help them out of this dilemma are those who are prepared to give them a charitable gift. However the charities themselves need to be seen to be running in a sensible manner and not taking on more animals than they can afford to cope with. Sadly it is the animals that suffer.
 

leah_x

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 February 2011
Messages
304
Visit site
I don't know how Hillside finds the room for them. (If my memory is correct) I think they own about 200 acres of land, on that land is around 2000 animals. 700 odd being horses (according to website)
Surely 200 acres is not enough for all that?
They need to trust people & put more effort into rehoming these animals. But then they have very blinkered views on everything, when I was desperate for a job, they told me they wouldn't employ me because I had worked in racing, which obviously makes me a horse abuser.
 

Norfolk Pie

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 December 2012
Messages
157
Visit site
There are some "policies" which in my opinion are questionable, the refusal to rehome being a large part of this. They also did themselves no favours in my eyes when, at the time of the appeal for funds, I believe the vets suggested it would be sensible to PTS those that are in need of considerable treatment /TLC, and they branded it "unthinkable"

IMO, it's not unthinkable, its good common sense, and a part of livestock ownership.

I also understand that they believe eating any animal is wrong, and therefore the dogs are fed a vegetarian diet. Whilst I can understand and respect this point of view, personally I don't think feel there is a particularly good grasp of what might, perhaps, be a better welfare policy in the long term.

Both a local vet and farrier are of the same opinion, to the point I encouraged an owner to have her horse PTS rather than take up the place available there. I dont personally feel that horse would have had a happy life by being given to them.
 

Nugget La Poneh

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2012
Messages
2,477
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
I could take a picture of a Hillside field that would sum up the whole problem they are facing.

20+ horses on a field that is probably only just 2 acres in the middle of winter is not a good example of horse husbandry. They have access to enough land that if they managed their numbers properly would mean they wouldn't have to spend so much in extra hay & feed.

What they have is amounting to hoarding and before anyone button pushes me for being libellous I have to pass said field above twice a day and I ride/run past jsut a small fraction of their other horses.
 

Natch

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 November 2007
Messages
11,616
Visit site
Very sad situation.

As an aside, I think they do rehome dogs - there is usually an advert in the local paper. No idea if they only rehome dogs and if so why.
 

jinglejoys

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2005
Messages
1,345
Visit site
Most rescues and "Sanctuary's" seem to be people indulging their tendancy to collect animals and expecting other people to pay for it
 

Dobiegirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 February 2011
Messages
6,900
Location
Wildest Somerset
Visit site
I could take a picture of a Hillside field that would sum up the whole problem they are facing.

20+ horses on a field that is probably only just 2 acres in the middle of winter is not a good example of horse husbandry. They have access to enough land that if they managed their numbers properly would mean they wouldn't have to spend so much in extra hay & feed.

What they have is amounting to hoarding and before anyone button pushes me for being libellous I have to pass said field above twice a day and I ride/run past jsut a small fraction of their other horses.

I absolutely agree with you, in all honesty I cant see for the life of me how they can check every animal daily given the numbers they have.
 

wallykissmas

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 February 2011
Messages
945
Visit site
I could take a picture of a Hillside field that would sum up the whole problem they are facing.

20+ horses on a field that is probably only just 2 acres in the middle of winter is not a good example of horse husbandry. They have access to enough land that if they managed their numbers properly would mean they wouldn't have to spend so much in extra hay & feed.

What they have is amounting to hoarding and before anyone button pushes me for being libellous I have to pass said field above twice a day and I ride/run past jsut a small fraction of their other horses.


Spot on !! I too have to pass their many fields of horses standing knee deep in mud during the winter,but that's ok because its not the ones outside the sanctuary so no one sees them !

Their fields are still bare and hilly since winter, they won't recover for winter grass.

They are not a charity its ran as a business

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//compdetails
 
Last edited:

polerue

New User
Joined
5 June 2013
Messages
1
Visit site
Having been duped by SANCTUARY'S in the past and this thread is about just that, how many people believe the word SANCTUARY actually means CHARITY.
Because Hillside is NOT a Registered Charity, they are a company with shareholders if you do the homework.
If they are TRULY dedicated to animal welfare as a charitable organisation then WHY not register with the Charity Commission and become legit for all to see.
This makes my blood boil to see so called Sanctuary's begging for money and the REAL charities are struggling.
They have exposed some dreadful animal abuse with undercover investigations, BUT who is paying for this and the HUGE campaigns they run, is it the donations that they are begging for to pay for hay from the gullible people who believe all they read.
 

Ladydragon

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 December 2011
Messages
1,127
Location
Wales
Visit site
If anyone is interested, the 'story' of how this supposed rescue place was exposed is on a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ThePhoenixPonies

The seven on that page brought everything about this place out into the open - four ponies plus a foal have gone to SWHP and some other people organised securing the ones that went to Hillside... The number that died in their care before anyone knew what was going on is harrowing...
 

Tinypony

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 December 2006
Messages
5,211
Visit site
Oh no, I didn't know much about Hillside. I thought that the poor QUOLAS equines (an earlier "sanctuary" bail-out) had found a safe haven. Now it looks as if they didn't. :-(
 
Top