Roundup of 2016

2016 was another busy year here at The Horse Trust, amazingly celebrating our 130th year, and as ever it was filled with moments of great joy and some of sadness. Read our roundup of 2016 below to find out more.

Being a unique retirement home for those equine civil servants that have served in the Police, Army and for Charities that use ponies to help people, we are proud to offer specialist care, love and dignity to the end for these proud and faithful animals. This does bring its fair share of sadness and to have lost so unexpectedly, such big characters as Mr Twister, Lochnagar and Zulu, as well as our farewells to those we can no longer keep comfortable, our team and supporters have shed more than a few tears.

In happier news we said bon voyage to Starlight, Maggie, Squiggy, Freda and Felix as they all found new forever homes after suffering neglect or cruelty in their early years. Ponies that arrived here in dire need of sanctuary and intensive care, ponies who had learned to be frightened of people or who had simply been ignored, fly grazed, dumped or badly treated, have learned that humans can be trusted and have left here happy, healthy and some of them even have new skills in being ridden or driving carriages. We are immensely proud of how our rescue ponies have had their lives turned around so completely. It’s a team effort and our supporters, you, are an essential part of that team for which we are deeply grateful.

Our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal helped us mark our 130th birthday and was shown an amazing pageant that told our story through the years as well as meeting some of our sponsors, partners and those who have been kind enough to open their homes to our ponies. HRH also watched a fascinating demonstration by our colleagues in Hampshire Fire & Rescue and a wonderful celebration was had by all, despite the English Summer rain!