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When you join the Harry Hall One Club, take out insurance, go shopping, either online or on the Harry Hall Riding App, we donate to our charity fund . In 2021 , with your help, we raised over £13,000 for our charity partners ! And i n December 2021 we asked you to choose the next three Harry Hall charity partners. A fter 7,000 votes , the chosen charities for 2022 are:
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| World Horse Welfare |
The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust |
Hope Pastures |
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World Horse Welfare helps improve the lives of horses in the UK and worldwide. |
Helping reduce poverty in Gambia by improving the welfare of it's animals. |
Rescue, rehabilitate and re-home horses, ponies and donkeys in need. |
In this blog, we meet Yorkshire-based charity Hope Pastures to find out how they work to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome horses in the UK.
Meet Hope Pastures
Hope Pastures has been rescuing, rehabilitat ing and rehom ing horses since 1974. They are an equine rescue centre in north Leeds, West Yorkshire whose aim is to rescue, rehabilitate, re-home or offer residency to horses, ponies and donkeys who may otherwise end up neglected, or are already suffering from neglect. Often, animals who are taken in by Hope Pastures are heading on a downward spiral in their lives and desperately need intervention before things get worse for them.
The centre is run by a small team of staff and supported by a valued number of volunteers. The qualified and experienced welfare staff are trained to assess animals in the community who are ‘at risk’. This can be horses with untreated health issues, ones living in unsuitable environments, those whose owners lack the finances and experience to provide proper care for their animals, and those who are likely to end up ultimately being passed around from dealer to dealer, from home to home, their lives becoming worse by the week.
Harry Hall’s CEO Liz Hopper with Leonnie Martin from the Hope team
How Hope Pastures rehabilitates horses and ponies
Hope Pastures have set up their site in Leeds to benefit any equines who stay with them by enriching their environment with edible medicinal hedgerows, setting up a grazing system which allows the grass to grow naturally and stay in good condition, and setting up hard standing areas to prevent mud and the related health and welfare conditions it can bring.
All the horses, ponies and donkeys are kept in as natural conditions as possible, always allowing them the important ‘3 F’s. Friends, Forage and Freedom.
Animals with behavioural problems come to Hope Pastures to receive kind, ethical, science-based training and various therapies. In order to meet the needs of the animals in the care of Hope Pastures, and to get them back to good health and happiness, they use the skills of physiotherapists, massage and bodyworkers, equine dentists, farriers and nutritionists.
The rehoming process
In an ideal world, Hope Pastures, will aim to place animals in their care in a forever ‘loan’ home, where they will receive the one-to-one attention and interaction which is so beneficial from a private home.
Hope Pastures regularly check in on them, receive updates and offer help and advice when needed. If for any reason a loan fails, they will be on hand to accept the animal back, ensuring their future is safeguarded.
If for any reason, usually physical, behavioural or health reasons, the animal cannot be rehomed then they will live with on site at Hope Pastures for the rest of their days and receive all the care and attention they need.
And finally, a huge thank you to NAF for providing some Hedgy Treats for us to take to the centre during a recent visit, this particular donkey felt very smug about it!
Visit Hope Pastures
Meet the horse, ponies and donkeys! They are open every day (365 days a year) between 10 am and 3 pm. They offer activities throughout the year, with Pony Days and Pony Pampering sessions in the school holidays, as well as hosting visiting groups and Birthday Parties.
You can find out more about upcoming events here . It’s free to visit the centre, but Hope Pastures rely completely on donations to support their rescue work, so these are gratefully received when you visit, no matter how small.
Where are Hope Pastures based:
Hope Pastures , Weetwood Lane , Leeds , LS16 5PH