Considerations before rehoming a horse

Research first:

Before you even consider rehoming a horse, please think about your commitment levels and the financial implications of horse ownership. A horse lives on average for around 20 years and could cost upwards of £10,000 per year in care. Serious consideration should be made to the level of of financial commitment required which comes with horse ownership.

If you are just beginning your journey into horse ownership, consider loaning or sharing rather than an acquiring your own as this will let you get a taste of things and you will be able to see if horse ownership is really right for you.

Introduce yourself and your family:

You should always visit a horse as many times as you and the current owner can accommodate. This will allow you to check if both you and the horse are suited as well as checking fundamentals such as the horses temperament.

Ask the seller as many questions as you can, regarding the horses temperament, health history, age, previous owners and abilities.  Always make sure that all paperwork is present and correct; this includes equine passports, vaccination certificates, breed and microchip papers.

A vet must check the horse is fit and healthy before you can transport it home with you.

A healthy horse is a happy horse:

A horse will require a lot of space and special dietary requirements, please make sure that you have all of this in place and have secured an adequately sized paddock or field for your horse. It is always better if the horse is housed with others so you can talk to other owners and receive advice.

Please, please, please consider rehoming a rescue centre horse first!

Before acquiring a horse, please consider searching local rescue centres to rehome one in need. There are many available and some centres advertise directly through Freeads where we support them with free advertising and charitable donations, because at Freeads.co.uk, we love pets!