H&H’s 10 most heart-warming stories from 2019 that are sure to make you smile

1. ‘I burst into tears’: Pammy Hutton’s missing horse found after Facebook appeal

Read +65,000 times

Top dressage rider and trainer Pammy Hutton praised the power of social media after a horse who went missing in October was found the next day.

2. Heroic bystander saves drowning horse in dramatic sea rescue

Read +43,500 times

A showing producer saved a drowning horse who had unseated his rider and swam out to sea, in a dramatic beach rescue.

3. Abandoned elderly horse undergoes ‘miraculous transformation’

Read +39,000 times

An abandoned elderly horse found suffering underwent a “miraculous transformation” and was given a second chance in his new “forever home”.

4. Last living Black Beauty celebrates 30th birthday

Read +38,500 times

The last living Black Beauty celebrated his 30th birthday with the help of 200 fans.

5. Foal saved from slaughter in Portugal becomes TV soap star

Read +35,500 times

Samuel L Jackson (Sammy) made his first appearance on Coronation Street this week, five years after he was taken in by Dylan Jones of Dolbadarn Film Horses in Gwynedd.

6. Hours old filly dumped to die is ‘brought back to life’ to new hope

Read +32,000 times

A tiny filly, thought to have been thrown over a fence to die at less than a day old, was brought back from the dead to a hopeful future.

7. Big Star back in the ring — with John Whitaker on board

Read +29,500 times

Nearly three years to the day that Big Star and Nick Skelton clinched that momentous Olympic gold medal in Rio, the now rising 17-year-old stallion was back in the ring — with another legendary rider in the saddle, John Whitaker

8. ‘Worst ever’ rescue case makes miracle transformation to show champion

Read +28,500 times

Two rescue ponies, one among the “worst cases” charity staff have ever seen, were transformed into showing champions at the end of the summer.

9. Mounted police ‘delighted’ as critically rare horse joins the force

Read +28,500 times

A police force welcomed a critically rare Suffolk horse as a new recruit after she successfully passed her training.

10. Pippa Funnell’s treasured Team GBR hat silk handed in after heart-felt plea

Read +28,500 times

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials 2019 winner Pippa Funnell was reunited with her Team GBR hat silk, which flew off as she tackled the cross-country course with MGH Grafton Street in September.

Would you like to read Horse & Hound’s independent journalism without any adverts? Join Horse & Hound Plus today and you can read all articles on HorseandHound.co.uk completely ad-free

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now