Financial challenges continue for horse owners, as equine welfare charities come under pressure too.
As 2025 comes to a close, charities have reflected on the year, citing rising costs across the board as an ongoing concern.
World Horse Welfare chief field officer Claire Gordon told H&H it had been a “challenging year”, exacerbated by the summer drought and its impact on forage yields.
“Charities are not immune from these challenges and the worrying impact we’re starting to feel is the resilience of the welfare sector shrinking – at a time when demand for our services is increasing,” she said.
“We’ve seen charities having to shut some of their centres, make redundancies, close to new intakes or decrease stocking levels to reduce running costs. Sadly, we’ve lost some charities who have closed permanently, finding the ever-increasing costs unsustainable.”
World Horse Welfare had rehomed 302 equines and taken in 200 by 30 November. Of the charity’s 2,200-plus rehomed horses and ponies, 155 were returned this year.
Ms Gordon reported that welfare cases involving large numbers of horses “continue to further deplete” rescue centres’ capacity.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“Some of the big operations have involved horses who have been sold or passed on by their owners to unknown fates, many later rescued from dealers and hoarding situations,” she said.
“We’ve also seen cases where owners and breeders have passed away or become very ill with no succession plan, leaving charities to pick up the pieces.”
This year Blue Cross launched a strategy, “designed to support private horse owners in times of need”. The charity took in 434 equines compared to 212 in 2024, the majority from private homes.
“There are many reasons owners are reluctantly having to relinquish their horses, but financial strain is the most common. Rising veterinary costs, combined with this year’s sharp increases in hay and straw prices, have placed significant pressure on households,” a Blue Cross spokesperson told H&H.
“To meet demand, the charity brings horses in for rehabilitation and rehoming, while also expanding its Home Direct scheme, which allows horses to remain in their homes while Blue Cross helps match them with new owners.”
Blue Cross reported a “dip” in rehoming figures, from 250 last year to 231 this year – thought to be “linked to the rising costs of hay, feed and winter care”.
By 30 November, Redwings had taken in 51 equines, down from 98 last year.
“While this is a big drop on recent years, this is unfortunately all the space we’ve had available. With around 1,200 existing residents, we must ensure we don’t compromise their continuing care over new intakes, and that has meant space has been very limited this year,” Redwings chief executive Lynn Cutress told H&H.
Redwings rehomed 93 horses and ponies by the end of November, compared to 88 in 2024.
“We are pleased these numbers have held steady and encourage anyone looking to take on a horse to consider Redwings, or another equine charity,” said Ms Cutress.
The RSPCA admitted 546 equines by 30 November and rehomed more than 200.
“2025 has been a challenging year for the RSPCA and other equine charities, as rising costs for hay, veterinary care and other essentials have driven up the cost of caring for horses. This comes at a time when the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact horse carers,” said RSPCA equine expert Mark Kennedy.
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
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
