HORSE WORLD
NEWS
New half term attraction as retired police horse, Imperial, meets new friends
A new attraction will be on show this half term as
animal welfare charity, HorseWorld is very pleased to welcome Police
Horse Imperial to its popular Whitchurch Visitor Centre.
Imperial, who has dedicated 15 years to protecting
the people of Avon and Somerset has recently hung up his Police bridle
to enjoy a well earned retirement.
The handsome 19 year old bay gelding arrived at
HorseWorld accompanied by his groom Natalie Simmons who was very sad to
say goodbye to one of the force’s most reliable horses:
“He has done the
force proud for a decade and a half, ” she
said.
Imperial’s name has strong links with the area he
patrolled. In 1974, WD and HO Wills opened Europe’s largest cigarette
manufacturing plant on land at Hartcliffe near Bristol. The Imperial
tobacco factory lasted all of 16 years and closed
in 1990 as the tobacco industry felt the squeeze. This site is now
known as Imperial Retail Park.
“The very impressive Imperial will undoubtedly be a
strong draw to our Visitor Centre this half term,”
says Jerry Watkins,
HorseWorld’s Director of Equine Welfare.
“Despite now focusing most of our resources on
Welfare cases HorseWorld was originally set up in 1952 to take in
retired working horses so we are delighted to welcome a hard working
Police Horse like Imperial who has faithfully given service
to the public for many years.”
Imperial expected to be at the HorseWorld Visitor
Centre from Saturday 11th February until Sunday 19th February and would
love to meet lots of new friends.
Photos Imperial and his Police Groom, Natalie Simmons.
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Crockett the Rocket
pokes his tongue out at grooms as he jets off for his new home.
A horse whose comical appearance
has earned him many fans will this week be retiring to a life of
leisure after finding a loving loan home. Twenty five year old cheeky
tongue-poker,
Crockett has been owned by animal rescue charity, HorseWorld for the last five years.
HorseWorld’s Training and
Rehoming Manager, Sarah Hollister, has known the bay Thoroughbred since
he arrived at the charity.
“Crockett had lost all of his front teeth
before he came to us. This was believed to have been
due to an accident in the field – he was either kicked or fell
presumably. This means that his tongue hangs out in a comical fashion
most of the time!
“Crockett was ridden up until
recently and has always been rather lively, hence earning himself the
nickname Crockett the Rocket! He was placed in a loan home for two years
as a riding horse and returned to us earlier
this year. He has now been retired due to his age and the difficulties
of rehoming him as an elderly ridden horse. He is still so jolly he
spends most of the time ridden jogging along and requires a very
experienced rider, most of whom will either be looking
for a much younger horse to compete with or a quiet hack, of which
Crockett is neither.
“Older horses, especially the
large ones, can find it difficult to find a home and many of them will
end up living out their days here at HorseWorld. Crockett’s new loaners
also have a retired 25 year old gelding TB called
Charlie so it’s a really good match. Charlie has been stressed since
the death of his companion and has also started to get discolouration of
the hair around his eyes and on his hind legs. The vets have
investigated all the reasons this may be and have come
to the conclusion it must be stress. They fell in love with Crockett as
he was so gentle and spent most of the time they were here to visit him
licking them!”
HorseWorld is celebrating its 60anniversary
this year. It was originally set up for retiring working horses and
there is still a very real demand for the work of the charity which can
rescue up to
100 abandoned, neglected and mistreated horses every year.
Each horse is individually assessed by a member of the dedicated team of
grooms and trainers who liaise with the vet, farrier, and dentist to
ensure that they are given appropriate care, treatment and training with
the ultimate aim of finding them loving new
homes where they will be given the life and love that they deserve.
HorseWorld has many horses and ponies waiting for a special, experienced home.
01275 832067
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Visitors to Cineworld meet a real ‘War Horse’ and his rider.
Movie-goers who went to see smash-hit Steven
Spielberg film ‘War Horse’ last Saturday were greeted by a horse and
rider in full military outfit from leading animal welfare charity,
HorseWorld.
HorseWorld’s Director of Equine Welfare, Jerry
Watkins and retired police horse Monty were met by squeals of delight
from children as they approached the cinema.
“In light of the success of the ‘War Horse’ film,
we thought it would be nice for children to be able to meet a live horse
in full military regalia, one of them even exclaimed that they had
never seen a real horse before!“ explains Jerry Watkins.
“HorseWorld is currently offering under-16s who
have been to see the film free entry to its popular Visitor Centre when
they produce their ‘War Horse’ ticket at the admissions desk until
February 10th. Many children will have found a new love for horses after
watching this film and it seems the perfect opportunity to invite them
to meet our rescued horses and learn about HorseWorld’s work.”
For more information visit:
or call 01275 540173
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Smaller animals are a big attraction in new
departure for local horse welfare charity
Staff
at the West Country’s leading horse, pony and donkey attraction are
urging their animal-loving visitors to take advantage of an ideal
opportunity to talk to local pet care experts and meet a range of
different types of animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs and
ferrets.
On Saturday 4
February, Bristol-based HorseWorld, which rescues, rehabilitates and
rehomes horses, ponies and donkeys in need will be joined by various
small animal rescue organisations from around the Bristol and Bath area.
It’s the first time the charity has run this type of event, which will
provide members of the public with a day of fun and pet education.
Organisations attending include
RSPCA Bath Cats & Dogs Home
Holly
Hedge Animal Sanctuary
The Littlest Rescue with
Boarding Bunnies at
Home.
Visitor
Centre Yard Manager, Karen Hardwick explains.
“We often give advice to
people looking to become a horse owner, however many of our visitors are
more likely to want to take on a smaller animal. We hope that people
will take advantage of this opportunity to ask the experts and gain a
realistic view on what is involved caring for this type of animal. It
also gives people who are not in a position to have a pet, the
opportunity to get up close to these animals.”
or call 01275 540173.
If you are a local pet charity or organisation and would like to join us,
please contact the events team on 01275 893024.
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‘War
horse’ euthanasia concerns as army animals are put down due to ‘temperament’
A
leading animal welfare charity says greater Ministry of Defence (MoD)
transparency could help reassure members of the public who are concerned that
ex-army horses may have been put down unnecessarily.
As
smash-hit movie ‘War Horse’ takes the UK by storm, new figures published by the
MoD reveal that 28 army horses were put down in 2011, 16 more than in 2009. The
figures reveal that, while most suffered physical health problems, four were
destroyed due to their ‘temperament’.
Staff
at Bristol-based HorseWorld have written to the MoD suggesting greater
transparency could help reassure members of the public who are concerned that
an animal’s ‘temperament’ might not be reason enough to destroy an animal.
HorseWorld
Equine Welfare Director Jerry Watkins said:
“Alternatives to euthanasia always
need to be properly considered when an animal reaches the end of its working
life.
“Members
of the public might understandably feel these new figures pose serious
questions.
“We
have no reason to believe the MoD is not following correct principles and
practices, but the public will want to be assured that in each case every
alternative was considered, and will be in future.
“Publication
of case notes of the animals that were put down due to ‘temperament’ could help
provide this reassurance, or the MoD may have other ways of doing so which
makes things more transparent.”
In
a letter to the MoD, HorseWorld has asked if the Ministry has plans to make the
background to such cases more transparent.
Amongst
the many hundreds of animals that HorseWorld has looked after in the past
decade is a former army horse, Mountjoy, who was retired to HorseWorld in 2003 . During his military career Mountjoy was the charger of Lt
Colonel Crispin Lockhart, now Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry (when
Crispin Lockhart was a squadron leader). Mountjoy died in 2008 after five years
at HorseWorld, including a period where he was rehomed with a horse loaner.
The new figures emerged in a Written
Parliamentary Answer from Defence Minister Andrew Robathan MP in response to a
question from MP Kevan Jones. Full details are included below.
HorseWorld is currently responsible for
over 140 horses, ponies and donkeys at its Whitchurch site and for a further
300-plus who have been successfully re-homed by people who care for them on a
loan basis.
Free
entry for War Horse movie-goers
HorseWorld
runs a highly popular Visitor Centre where members of the public can meet many
of its rescued animals. Under 16s who present their cinema ticket, having been
to see ‘War Horse’, are currently being offered free entry to HorseWorld.
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Facebookfans come face to face with rescued horses
As new figures show visits to paid-for attractions in
England falling, one West Country attraction is finding
innovative new ways to attract visitors and supporters.
HorseWorld, an animal welfare charity in Bristol gave their fans on social media website Facebook a
free day out on Sunday 15 January which proved to be very
successful with over 150 people taking advantage of the offer. HorseWorld rescues
horses, ponies and donkeys that have been abandoned, mistreated and neglected. The charity rehabilitates and rehomes up
to 100 abandoned, neglected and mistreated horses, ponies and donkeys every
year, and operates a Visitor Centre at which members of the public can meet
many of its horses close-up, and learn more about the stories that led them to
being there.
HorseWorld Communications Officer, Amy Williams
attributes the success of ‘Facebook Friends for Free’ to the rapidly increasing
number of people engaging with the charity on social media sites:
“Social media
means charities and visitor attractions have to re-think their approach and
develop new ways to engage. Ground-breaking initiatives like HorseWorld’s
Facebook Friends for Free Day help us develop our thriving social media
presence. We now have around 1,500 fans on our HorseWorld Trust Facebook page
and a similar number of Twitter followers. These numbers have grown
significantly over the past couple of weeks while the free day out voucher was
available.
“Our Facebook page has become quite a community and
allows members of the public to keep in touch. They’re using it to ask advice
about equine issues, and share their own photos and experiences. They are also
learning about the rescued horses’ progress in their rehabilitation and keeping
up to date with events at the charity’s visitor centre and welfare department.
We’re keen to stay at the forefront of social media innovation and are now
considering our next special offers to our social media community.”
For more information about HorseWorld Trust
and to
follow the charity on Facebook, Twitter and Troton.com,
go to
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Legendary horse whisperer becomes charity’s Patron
A Bristol horse
welfare charity has secured a flying start to its Diamond Jubilee year
with news that legendary Horse Whisperer Monty Roberts is to become
Patron.
Mr Roberts’
acceptance of an invitation to become Patron of HorseWorld, based in
Whitchurch, follows a special visit he made to the charity in November
2011. He found out more about its rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming
work, meeting some of the animals, staff, volunteers and Trustees.
HorseWorld celebrates its 60 anniversary in 2012.
Monty Roberts, the
“man who listens to horses”, has won countless awards, received immense
worldwide press coverage, put three books on the New York Times
best-seller list, and has trained some of the Queen’s equestrian team
in London. His pioneering techniques have now become part-and-parcel of
equine training across the globe.
He was honoured by the Queen in June 2011 when he was made an honorary Member of the Royal Victorian Order. The
Royal Victorian Order is given by the Queen to people who have served
her or the monarchy in a personal way. In 1989, the late Queen Mother
was reduced to tears after Roberts managed to tame her wildest horse. Mr
Roberts has been involved with some aspects of the monarchy’s horses
ever since.
During his recent
visit to HorseWorld, Mr Roberts also learned about the ground-breaking
‘Discovery’ project which employs horses to help young people with
emotional, behavioural and learning issues. He
learned about how the project is taking an increasingly-important part
in the charity’s work, and is making a huge difference to the lives of
disadvantaged local young people.
Monty Roberts said:
“As I observed HorseWorld’s work it became clear that its main goal is
to improve the lives of horses and children. By now a great portion of
the horse world knows that these two subjects are the prime motivations
of my life.
“It seemed evident
to me that the HorseWorld non-profit charitable foundation is dedicated
and filled with extreme motivation to help needy animals and youth at
risk. I found it to be an exemplary example as a sanctuary for those who
are in need of its services as well as those who have the time and
motivation to assist in these efforts. Anyone who loves animals should
become familiar with this charity and wherever possible assist
HorseWorld with its laudable efforts.”
HorseWorld Chair of
Trustees John Newman said: “Our special anniversary year couldn’t have
got off to a more positive start than this. To have Monty Roberts join
the HorseWorld team as Patron is a huge honour for our staff, volunteers
and supporters.”
Mr
Roberts’ UK distinguished protégé, Kelly Marks, will also become Patron
of HorseWorld. She is the founder of Intelligent Horsemanship, a UK
organisation dedicated to bring the best horsemanship ideas together
from around the world in an effort to promote understanding and fair
treatment of horses at every opportunity. Kelly and her team run
educational courses from Witney, West Oxfordshire.
From left to right:
HorseWorld Chair of Trustees John Newman, Managing Director Mark Owen,
legendary horse whisperer Monty Roberts, and Saul, pictured during Mr
Roberts’ visit to HorseWorld.
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Free
entry to HorseWorld for charity’s Facebook fans
Still
time to sign up for ‘no catch’ free day out
A
leading animal charity is offering free entry to its popular Visitor
Centre one Sunday in January .... to all its fans on social media website Facebook.
During
a record-breaking 2011 HorseWorld welcomed over 100,000 visitors through the
doors of its Whitchurch Visitor Centre – a 64 per cent increase on its previous
best-ever year.
But
the charity says it wants to reward its social media followers and so people
who are, or who become, Facebook fans of HorseWorld Trust will be able
to meet the horses and enjoy the Visitor Centre facilities completely free of
charge all day on Sunday 15 January
2012.
Visitor
Centre Manager Sharon Crewe said: “HorseWorld’s ‘Facebook Friends For
Free’ Day is a way of saying ‘thank you’ to people who support us and who
follow our activities online.
“There’s
no catch. All you need to do is to ‘like’ HorseWorld Trust on Facebook before Saturday 14 January, print the voucher we’ll be publishing and bring it
to our Visitor Centre on Sunday 15 January to enjoy a free, fun and educational
day out. You’ll be able to meet many of our rescued horses, ponies and donkeys
and learn more about their backgrounds from the presentations we do in our
round-pen. Children will be able to take advantage of our all-weather play
facilities.”
HorseWorld rescues horses, ponies and donkeys that have
been abandoned, mistreated and neglected. The charity rehabilitates and rehomes
up to 100 abandoned, neglected and mistreated horses, ponies and donkeys every
year, and operates a Visitor Centre at which members of the public can meet
many of its horses close-up, and learn more about the stories that led them to
being there.
The Visitor Centre was opened in 2000, giving the opportunity
for the public to visit some of the rescued animals and see the charity’s work
in action. It is home to rescued horses, ponies, donkeys, hens, ducks,
goats, ferrets and Portia the Pot-bellied pig. There
are over eight acres of adventure to explore, with Indoor and Outdoor
activities, Agility Trail, an Aerial Runway, and more. People can enjoy the
experience of caring for a pony in the supervised Touch and Groom stables and
help HorseWorld Grooms with interactive feeding.
Sharon
Crewe added: “According to the data we get from Facebook the 1,300 fans
we currently have live right across the globe – from Australia
to Serbia; from
Malaysia to the
USA. But the
majority of our fans are UK-based, with most in the West Country, so we
recognise Sunday 15 January might be another busy day at HorseWorld.”
The voucher, which will be available via the HorseWorld
Trust Facebook page, will allow entry to one adult and up to two
children free of charge.
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New
year, new start for horse found in supermarket car park
A young
horse who was found in a supermarket car park along with four other horses is
looking forward to a very happy new year. Bambino has found a loving new loan
home after living at animal rescue charity, HorseWorld, for the last three
years.
HorseWorld
staff were called out to rescue the five horses from a supermarket car park in Bradley Stoke, Bristol, when Bambino was just eighteen
months old. The group of horses had been rounded up on the roads by the police
on several occasions before so were taken back to the charity’s welfare
department at Whitchurch, near Bristol.
The owners
were traced by the police and warned to fence them in properly in future.
However HorseWorld staff were not happy with the condition of two of the
horses.
· Vera, a New Forest pony in poor condition, was
expecting a foal. She had been ear-notched and branded for identification and
was extremely nervous. The charity believed there were enough grounds for her
to be seized from her owners.
The other was Bambino. The youngster
was underweight, under developed and had scars where a poorly fitting harness
had been used in the past. Despite this, there were not enough legal grounds to
seize him so HorseWorld were only too relieved when his owners came to collect
the other three but did not want Bambino and left him behind.
Since being at HorseWorld, both Bambino and Vera have
been given the time, correct nutrition and gentle training to grow and develop
properly.
HorseWorld
Equine Training Manager Jessie Rushbrooke said:
“At four years old, Bambino has
now started his training as a ridden horse. Bambino is restricted to hacking
only with a lightweight rider due to his poor start in life. But he takes
everything in his stride and is proving to be super horse.”
Bambino
is set for a new home in the new year as he is due to move in with new loaner Nichole Park from Oxfordshire (pictured).
People who are
interested in rehoming a horse from HorseWorld can find details – and sign up
to be notified when animals become available - at www.horseworld.org.uk/rehome
Lottery Fund award for courses with horses will help
transform young people’s lives
The success of an innovative Bristol-based programme that
uses horses to help educate young people, many of whom struggle in mainstream
education, is officially recognised this week with a major funding award.
Discovery, based at animal welfare charity HorseWorld,
Whitchurch, has received a grant of £8,536 from the Big Lottery Fund’s’Awards
for All’programme to help fund its ‘Discover Horses, Discover Yourself’
course.
They provide first-hand experience of working with horses
in the outdoors as well as increasing confidence, concentration and self
esteem, for young people from the local area.
Discovery Manager Amanda Cranston said:“This award to
HorseWorld’s Discovery programme is brilliant news. It’s official recognition
of the programme’s success but, much more importantly, it will enable dozens
more local youngsters to take part.
“The feedback we have had from young people who have
successfully completed Discovery courses is such that we can say,
hand-on-heart, lives will be transformed as a result of this grant.”
Discovery is one of a number
of south west projects to receive funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s‘Awards
for All’ small grantsprogramme announced on Monday 19 December.
Discovery is available to young people from Bristol,
B&NES, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
