‘Together we can’: match-funded campaign to make twice the impact for rescued horses

A herd of 15 thoroughbreds rescued as winter closed in are among the horses who will benefit from a seasonal match-funding charity initiative.

From today (30 November) until 7 December, as part of The Big Give #ChristmasChallenge21, every penny donated to World Horse Welfare via the Big Give website will be match-funded, doubling the amount raised by the charity.

As an example of the horses who will be supported by donations, World Horse Welfare has shared the story of the thoroughbreds, who had been left at a farm in Devon after an eviction and whose needs were not being met.

The landowner used the Control of Horses Act to gain ownership of the thoroughbreds, who were then signed over to World Horse Welfare and removed to the charity’s premises.

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“The costs for such an operation, however, are significant, and the horses’ removal is just the beginning of a lengthy and expensive process, with each horse being carefully looked after, assessed and rehabilitated by the charity for many months before, hopefully, being ready to rehome,” a spokesman for World Horse Welfare said.

Charity field officer Jon Phipps added that he had been working with the herd for some months.

“They were all on the cusp, they were all lean and we didn’t want them to drop any more weight,” he said. “If we didn’t remove them before winter proper, we were going to have a serious welfare issue.”

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Seven of the mares went to the charity’s Hall Farm, manager of which Sue Hodgkins said: “The mares will be turned away until after Christmas, which will give them the opportunity to decompress and settle into their new environment. During that time, we will be assessing their behaviour in the field with each other and the grooms.

“These thoroughbreds are the lucky ones; they will receive five-star treatment from the day they arrive to the day we can hopefully find them a new home. We rely on public donations to allow us to continually rescue, rehabilitate and rehome horses that come into our four farms from across the country. Without public donations our work would not be possible.”

The spokesman added that all donations under the Big Give, the UK’s leading match-funding platform that brings together charities and donors, will “make a huge contribution to securing the future for these horses and others like them”.

“One donation, twice the impact. Together we can.”

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