A 17-year-old pony who has spent most of her life in a rescue centre has now found a family to call her own.
Tequila came into the care of HorseWorld as a yearling in 2004 as part of a group of 16 feral youngsters. The herd had been found living on the side of a mountain in Wales with little food, and were receiving no care.
A spokesman for the charity said the group were thin and “declining rapidly”, adding as winter approached it had become a life-threatening situation.
“On arrival at the charity the youngsters received careful and sympathetic handling so they could be nursed back to health” he said.
“Many had never had any contact with humans other than the locals who had been taking them enough hay to keep them alive while rescue was organised.”
Tequila was backed as a four-year-old in 2007, but two years later before she could be rehomed, the mare was retired owing to a stifle issue.
“The problem in her stifle had resulted in ongoing lameness problems when ridden and was most likely as a direct result of her breeding. The herd were of mixed types and breeding was indiscriminate,” said the spokesman.
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“The team found that as long as she wasn’t asked to carry any weight she remained sound and comfortable, but having to retire such a young horse dramatically decreased her chances of finding a home.”
Tequila was rehomed in 2010 for as a non-ridden companion for nine months, and again in 2013 for 17 months, but was returned to the charity on both occasions due to a change in the families’ circumstances.
“The team couldn’t believe the bad luck Tequila was having and we were determined to find the sweet-natured mare a family to call her own,” said the spokesman.
“There are around 100 horses on-site at the charity at any one time. The demand for places for newly rescued horses is ever increasing and it is preferable for successfully rehabilitated horses to go into the care of a rehomer if possible where they can receive more one-to-one attention.”
The spokesman said Tequila was featured on the charity’s website and rehoming articles for the next five years but nobody showed interest in her. He added the mare seemed “destined” to spend the rest of her life at the sanctuary, until a potential rehomer, Jane Denton, spotted the mare online and she was rehomed in July this year.
“Tequila had finally found herself a family to call her own,” said the spokesman.
Jane said her family are delighted to have given Tequila a home with their mare, Gipsy.
“We have had a few rescue horses over the years as companions and it is so rewarding to see them come out of themselves. We have never regretted fostering or rehoming a rescue pony,” she said.
“Tequila is nothing short of an absolute delight, I cannot understand why she was at the centre for so long. After being with us for just more than a week she is already proving to be the sweetest little pony who loves nothing more than to be fussed and given attention.”
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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.
