will blue cross take any horse?

Morgan123

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Hello, i've posted a few times about a friend of a friend who i'm trying to help rehome her horse - she's got to the point where she's considering euthanasia (so called - i don't think it really is though as he's perfectly healthy and only 14)... anyway, as a last attempt she's trying the blue cross, and says she's filled in thier form. However, i'm a bit concerned that they just won't get back to her?

If not the blue cross - anywhere else that would take on a horse (nr Newbury/Oxfordshire)

she's quite elderly and has her own land where he lives but for various reasons can no longer keep him - she's tried advertising etc but he's not very saleable at the moment. i would take him but nowhere to keep him!! our farm is full unfortunately. im worried that, because he's bassically healthy and she technically has somewhere to keep him, they'll jsut ignore the request??


thank you!
 
I think she'd have to have strong circumstances for no longer being able to keep him...

I know someone who tried to rehome an unrideable pony that way and they said no. She ended up signing him over to someone as a companion. They are hugely oversubscribed, so I think only take in horses as an absolute emergency

Your not far away. Has she tried putting him on nfed?
 
I would personally never give money or a horse to the Blue Cross after what they did to my friend. Its undoubtedly defammatory to go into details on an open forum but I would look somewhere else.
 
really?? would you mind PMing me? would be interested to hear. It's just that she's not very in wiht the horsey world and has considered all sorts of options including various dealers, but is a bit confused about what she wants for him - so i'm tyring to help her work out what's best for them both and facilitate whatever that is, but don't want to give bad advice....

that's pretty much what i thought about the blue cross though re: having a long waiting list though :-( i'll have to see what i can do....
 
nfeds great at rehoming companions / projects. I would suggest only putting him up for a token gesture amount!

I don't see why the pony should be classified as a problem? He's just a 14 yr old that has sat in a field for a while?
 
Thanks but i'm trying to actually home him - he's not a problem, he's just never been schooled or anything so it's not his fault!! I'd rather beg our farmer or have him at a completely different yard to my own two than that!
 
I think it really does depend on the charity, the room and what your friend can still provide for the horse, if she can still meet the needs of the horse then she may have to wait on a waiting list, but best to at least get her name on the lists!!

Try the Bluecross, WHW, RSPCA, Redwings, Bransby home of rest for horses??

What problems does the horse have??? I ask because could it not be possible to loan it out? Not being saleable is one thing but being loanable is totally different, there are lots of people out there looking for loan horses with lots of experience to offer??? My very first horse was a complete loon!! windsucker, string halt!!! I still jumped at the chance of having her on loan, and we had the best of times together!
 
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I know it sounds drastic, but really it would be best for the horse if he was PTS where he lives. He wouldn't have to go through the trauma of moving to a new place, and possibly not having a good outcome in his new place.
Even if you find somewhere for him, you don't know if it will be a 'forever' home and it is unlikely that any sort of rescue will take him.
I do take rescue horses and have also PTS a few of them. I don't have anymore room and I know that all our local ones are completely oversubscribed.

It is worth seriously considering as the kindest most humane thing to do. Sorry.
 
Thank you! Will try those. Chellebean - just PM'd you!

competition diva - yeh i agree, been looking - trouble is he's neither one thing nor the other! He's 14 hh and 14 yrs, and never been schooled in his life, only hacked. He's only ever lived in his owner's field with his own mum and another horse who both died 2 yrs ago, adn as a result of the separation he's now dangerous to hack as (unsurprisingly) he bolts towards any other horse he sees. He's never jumped and has only been in a lorry once. on the ground he's a bit bolshy and needs 'firm handling'.

basically he's pretty sweet but uneducated i think - whihc is a nice project for a teenager or something but trouble is, he's on the older side so not very attractive 'project material'.... i'll keep looking though, sure i'll sort something out!
 
Oh bless. He sounds like he just needs some company and time to come good and could make someone a nice pony to hack again - it must be driving him mad living on his own, especially if he doesn't get much time with the owner either. If I had a field I would say I'd take him right now because this story is too sad (I'm not usually such a sucker).

Here's another sanctuary to try: http://sussexhorserescuetrust.org.uk
 
I really hope you find somewhere for him but please don't think badly of those that have suggested PTS. It is not the worst thing in the world to PTS a healthy horse rather than pass it into an insecure and unknown future. If this horse is passed on to someone who 'thinks' they can cope and then finds they can't then chances are he will end up being put through the sales and spend months on the dealer circuit. I will not think twice about having mine, even the youngsters, PTS if, for whatever reason, I can no longer keep them. It is not that I think nobody else can care for them but that when the time comes for new owners to sell what will happen to them. All of mine came from dealers via or through the sales ring and I promised them that they will never go through that again.

As I said, I really hope you can find a lovely home for him, he sounds like he has had a hard time and is lonely, poor boy!
 
I agree that sometimes PTS in these circs is the best. There are very many perfectly good horses for sale at the moment at ridiculously low prices due to economic circumstances/hay shortage etc. There are a lot of horse owners seriously struggling and there will be a welfare explosion if things don't improve. The abatoirs have been inundated with people seeking a small return on their animals but due to so many having signed their passports "not for human consumption" they cannot go there. This has been compounded by the fact that they can no longer be re passported to comply with the regulations. I feel that many will be PTS if they cannot be sold/slaughtered for meat. However, harsh this may seem to some it is a responsible decision to take. The horse does not think or rationalise, therefore is unaware. I fear things will get worse before they get better.
 
Can't see a rescue taking the horse, can't see anyone buying an uneducated 14 year old with separation problems, which does leave just one option tbh, I would also go with the pts option if he cannot be kept at his current place and have company.
 
there are plenty of ppl willing to take on horses like these. Out of my 4 current eventers, 3 of them were big 'problems' and they are all BE eventing. I sadly have not had the money to buy a 'normal' horse and the slightly 'different' ones are more rewarding.
He doesn't sound like a massive problem and on top of that, there are many, many good homes out there! Hopefully a good companion home can be found and i would put money on it that given time in with a load of other horses again he will settle down. I would say PTS if you were open to just giving him to any old fool but by the sounds of it your friend is more sensible than that! good luck, really hope he finds a home
 
The Blue Cross will probably take the horse, I got a horse from them about 18 months ago who had belonged to an old lady who couldn't cope with her anymore, she wasn't a welfare case.
A freind of mine is sending her pony to them at the end of the month, she can't keep him anymore as she is splitting up from her husband & her daughter isn't interested in riding. She had been keeping him as a pet but due to the change in her circumstances that is no longer an option.
She had to fill in a form with some details about him & they got back to her with a date about 6 weeks away; there is a fee (about £150 I think)
It's worth contacting them before she has him pts, although if I couldn't get him into a rescue I would be having him pts if he was mine.
 
Im going through the process of sending my horse rebel to the blue cross, paperwork filled in and they are coming to visit him in 2 weeks.
Rebel isnt dangerous i just cant afford to keep him. I rescued him 2 years ago from apppleby ripped to shreads. He has cost me £5000 in vet bills to get him sound and now he is. I cant sell him as i need to know he is safe, i could get good money for him but i cant do that to him.
Its a shame as if i didint have his vet bills still to pay i wouldnt have to re-home him.

The blue cross will get back to you.

The lady who said about bad blue cross experience can you plz message me so i know what happened as im worried now as rebel is my baby.
 
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