World Horse Welfare’s dedicated team give horses in need the care and compassion they deserve.
A wide-eyed and scared pony is led, trembling, off a lorry. Having just arrived at World Horse Welfare’s Rescue and Rehoming Centre, near Blackpool, the pony, Charlotte, looks around the farm for the first time. She has suffered a lifetime of neglect and is seriously underweight, withdrawn and in desperate need of farriery treatment to her overgrown feet.
Luckily for Charlotte, the neglect is over, and she is safe for the rest of her life. Many will believe that Charlotte’s rescue marks the end of her heartbreaking story and, whilst her future is bright, her arrival at the centre marks just one step on a long journey to her recovery. Charlotte’s situation was further complicated by being pregnant and, just two months after her arrival, she delivered her foal, Audrey.
Sadly, due to Charlotte’s poor state, Audrey struggled to obtain the vital first feeds from her mum, and so the veterinary team had to step in and hand feed her.
Thankfully this was successful, and Audrey began to thrive as her mum Charlotte also slowly recovered and was able to begin producing milk for her foal. Journeys are seldom without event, and Audrey gave the team another scare when she developed pneumonia during the winter. The incredible team at the centre identified the signs straightaway and brought Audrey and her mum into the stable yard to be closely looked after. After a round of antibiotics, careful nursing and shelter from the cold weather Audrey began to make a full recovery with her devoted mum at her side.
It took the team at the centre many months of careful rehabilitation before both Charlotte and Audrey were fit and well. The stable yard there is at the heart of the rehabilitation process for all horses that come into the charity’s care. Charlotte and Audrey are not alone, the charity’s centre can care for over 60 horses and ponies at a time and the dedicated team of grooms tailor each horse’s rehabilitation programme to meet their needs. On arrival, every horse is assessed by a specialist team, including the vet, farrier, equine dental technician and physiotherapist.
Many of the arrivals need emergency veterinary treatment, and all will need specialist care by the devoted grooms during their time at the centre. On average, it will take around 10 months before horses are ready to start a new life in a loving home. In Charlotte’s case, it has taken almost a year, but now both she and Audrey have found loving new homes and they can continue to live a happy life.
The stable yards at the charity’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres around Britain are a real lifeline for horses in need. World Horse Welfare aims to give every one of the 300 or more horses, ponies, donkeys and mules that come into their centres a promising future with a rehomer who can continue with their care once their life has been transformed.
All of this is only possible thanks to amazing people who choose to Sponsor A Stable yard. Could you help transform a horse’s life, like Audrey and her mum Charlotte, by supporting World Horse Welfare’s stable yard in Lancashire?
‘World Horse Welfare is very close to my heart. Horses have always been a huge part of my life, which is why I am so passionate about them and their welfare. The stable yards at their Rescue and Rehoming Centres play a vital role in the rehabilitation process for horses in their care, helping them on their road to recovery and a towards a brighter future in a loving
home.’
– Sara Cox, Radio 2 DJ and broadcaster
