Which helps more?

[ponynutz]

Hi all.
There's a trend going round right now on TikTok where people tell the story of how they 'rescued' (bought) a horse that was abused or not taken care of very well and built up their trust.
It got me thinking - if you're wanting to help, which is better? To rescue from a rescue centre or do what these people have done?

Here's my thoughts:
Pros from a centre:
- Frees up a stable for more horses in dire circumstances to be rescued
- Cheaper and the majority of the hard rehabilitation work has been done for you (don't need as much experience)
- Help on hand whenever you need it
- Reliable information and help on choosing a horse that really suits you

Negatives from a centre:
- A LOT are companion only
- Will these other horses be rescued if nobody buys them or will they just be passed around and around in worse and worse circumstances?

Really I think I know the answer for myself given the amount of experience and money you'd need to rehabilitate a horse but it's just a niggle that in the future if a horse came up and the circumstances it were in were negative I think I'd still snatch it up over going to a rescue centre. Interested to hear your thoughts.

Sorry if this isn't as interesting to you lot as it is to me but just got me thinking!

 

[Equi]

I would never say I “rescued” my last horse but if he was in a rescue he would have looked like a legitimate case. Skin and bone, matted neglected looking thing and very anxious/nervous. My friend had taken him on loan for her hubby but he wasn’t suitable for them so I got him after sharing for a while. He hated the loan person but seemed to really bond with me (and I’m not one to think horses bond with people they just follow food but he was notably horrible with her and a wee babe with me) his owner informed me that he would be being sold upon the end of the 1 year contract and I was offered first refusal and clearly he wasn’t going to be going back to them. He was a walking vet bill but my absolute horse of a lifetime and I learned so so much from him - I don’t think I’ll ever have that again. He was my world.

If he had been in a rescue I would never even have looked at him twice. He was everything I didn’t want in a horse and only got involved due to my friend loaning him then handing him over to me, which would not have been allowed via a rescue.

 

[Gloi]

Cons from a rescue centre , they usually keep ownership. Pros from rescue centre, they still own and will take back.
Cons from buying. Are you encouraging the sellers to breed more badly raised horses.
Pros from buying if you are competent you can produce a pony going well that you can sell on.
Cons from buying. Some people saying they are rescuing are no better than where it came from.
Cons from buying, you may end up with an unsellable crock.