A Welsh cob called Annie has landed on her feet. The 14-year-old, who has been in the care of World Horse Welfare for the past 3 years, has been adopted by Princess Anne and will live out her days hacking around Gatcombe Park.
The mare’s adoption coincides with World Horse Welfare’s urgent re-homing campaign. This year there’s been a dramatic 32% drop in re-homing figures, while taking in 23% more horses than in 2012.
The charity, of which Princess Anne is president, has warned of an estimated 7,000 horses at risk of abandonment or neglect with the number coming into its four rescue and re-homing centres on the rise.
“If you’ve got room then you can do an awful lot of good by re-homing,” said Princess Anne. “It’s very disappointing to hear that the charity is finding it so difficult to re-home horses when people could do this so easily, and make space for others that need help.
“Re-homing from a charity may be the best way of finding a horse because you know so much more about the animal you are getting. You get told about their quirks, how easy the horse is to manage, their physical limitations, if any, and what their needs are.”
World Horse Welfare’s Roly Owers said: “Our rescue and re-homing centres are full to bursting, and there are thousands more horses who need our help. Everyone thinks of re-homing a dog or a cat from a rescue centre; it should be the same with horses. People are still buying horses when re-homing from a charity has so many advantages.”
