A campaign has been launched to persuade people to consider rehoming a horse instead of buying one. In recent years, many horse owners have struggled as a result of no longer being able to afford to care for their horse, resulting in an increase in the number of horses and ponies being taken in by rescue centres.
Charities are now saying that it makes sense for owners that are thinking about buying a horse to consider getting one on a loan instead.
The campaign, Re-home a Horse Month, will be run by World Horse Welfare throughout July and supported by The Princess Royal.
Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare, Roly Owers, said: “With large numbers of cheap horses available at markets or over the internet, buying a horse has never been so easy, or so risky.“
We hear a growing number of complaints about the low quality of horses bought at markets or over the web. At the same time, our rescue and rehoming centres across the UK are bursting with a wide range of horses.
“In Britain people are very quick to take in rescue dogs and cats, but this mind-set in the horse world is surprisingly rare and we need to change that. Rehoming has great advantages over buying.“
With a sale, or over the internet, many have learned the hard way that what they see is not always what they get. Our horses come fully vetted with passport, microchip and the honest facts about their health and abilities.
“They also come with a safety net, allowing borrowers to return the horse to us if their circumstances change, or if their children have outgrown their pony.”
The charity added that if more people consider rehoming a horse then more room will be created for other animals.