Rehomed Rescue Horses are Stars of Show at Royal Norfolk

Rehomed Rescue Horses are Stars of Show at Royal Norfolk

New World Horse Welfare sponsored rescue classes a resounding success

Rescue horses and ponies took centre stage at this year’s Royal Norfolk Show where more than 30 competed in brand new classes sponsored by charity, World Horse Welfare (WHW).

WHW Little Lion stood overall Champion of the section after winning the four years old and over in-hand category and then fighting off tough competition from the other class winners. Lion came into WHW Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre as a welfare concern in 1994 at the age of seven. Lion was in a poor condition with very cracked feet, but thanks to the dedicated care of WHW staff he made a full recovery and went on to be rehomed as a ridden pony where he gave joy to a number of children before being retired.

WHW Hall Farm Supervisor, Viki Cooper, had always loved Lion and decided to rehome him as a companion in 2005. She said:

“I’m absolutely over the moon to see Lion awarded Champion at the Royal Norfolk Show. At the age of 28 years old he was one of the oldest entrants to the rescue classes but has an amazing zest for life which obviously shone through in the ring. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”

WHW Hamgrove Chrystal won the in-hand four years old and under class. RSPCA Thunder took first place in the under 15 years ridden class and WHW Roxanne won the over 15 years ridden accolade.

WHW Deputy Chief Executive, Tony Tyler, said:

“We were delighted to see so many entries into the rescue classes, with a range of charities represented. This is the first year these classes have been run and the feedback has been really positive. It seems that visitors have enjoyed watching the horses and ponies take part as much as the rehomers have enjoyed showing them off.

“Rehoming is vital to the sustainability of our work and the Royal Norfolk Show has been a valuable opportunity to showcase just what rescue horses and ponies are capable of, no matter what their background or history.”

To find out more about rehoming visit: http://rehoming.worldhorsewelfare.org/

The rescue classes were kindly judged by Mrs Jayne Ross and Mr Fred Barrelet.

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.