National Pet Charity Blue Cross is celebrating ten years of Home Direct, during which time they have helped more than 300 horses find new homes.
The charity’s Home Direct service helps owners find suitable new homes for their precious horses if they can no longer keep them. The innovative and efficient scheme, avoids the need to use the charity’s busy centres, helping to provide horses with a secure future.
The system is simple: Every horse is assessed thoroughly by a member of the Blue Cross horse unit team and then advertised on the charity’s website. Once a potential new owner has been found Blue Cross will arrange and oversee initial visits. If it’s a good match, the horse will then be rehomed.
Spanning the decade, Neville, a Connemara pony was rehomed earlier this year while RT, an Exmoor pony was one of the first ponies to be rehomed via Home Direct in 2015.
When Neville’s owner’s personal circumstances changed Blue Cross stepped in to help find this much-loved pony a new home as a companion.
Neville’s original owner said: “After the heartbreaking decision to rehome my beloved horse, Neville, I approached Blue Cross to see if they could rehome him through their Home Direct scheme. The process was smooth from start to finish and all the Blue Cross team I spoke with were really understanding and helpful, and nothing was too much trouble.
“Neville was quickly matched with a lovely family and after meeting him they were able to take him home shortly after, the whole process from start to finish only took 4 weeks!”
RT was one of the very first ponies to enter the Home Direct scheme when it launched ten years ago. Backed by the daughter of his first family, RT enjoyed success in Exmoor classes but proved a complex pony to ride. When family illness and life changes meant they could no longer keep him, they turned to Blue Cross to ensure he could retire safely as a companion.
He was quickly matched with a new family who needed a companion for their own Exmoor pony. RT settled happily with them for several years before returning to Blue Cross when the family downsized. Since then, he has been rehomed by Blue Cross into another loving homes where currently remains.
RT’s current guardian said: “We were aware that Blue Cross had horses available for adoption, but we didn’t realise they also helped rehome privately owned horses direct from their owners! We were matched with RT and were so impressed with the Home Direct process, it was lovely that he could come straight from his previous home to ours, and even better that the whole adoption took place just a few miles apart! Emily, who carried out the assessment, was a fantastic Blue Cross representative.
“She gave us plenty of time to talk through RT’s needs with his owner, which made the whole experience feel supportive and reassuring. We absolutely adore RT, he has settled in beautifully and has been the perfect little companion for our other Exmoor. We couldn’t be happier.”
Vicki Alford, equine centre manager at Blue Cross, Burford, added: “Home Direct enables us to help people as much as we are helping horses.
“Please do get in touch as we are here to help, not to judge. We welcome approaches from horse owners while their horses are still healthy, rather than risk them potentially ending up in a welfare compromised situation if their owner is struggling to cope. We are here to help you make the best decisions for the future health and welfare of your precious horses.”
If you would like more information on the Home Direct Scheme, click here.
