Could you be a horse angel?

Please note: This is not for the inexperienced, or fickle person! This can only be done after serious thought and consideration, not just by yourself, but by all of your family members, and anyone else who may be affected by the arrival of a rescued horse.

Guardian angels wanted to care for rescued horses and ponies
Please read all of the following information!

Do you live in the UK?

Do you have the experience to care for a rescued horse or pony?
Many rescued horses have problems. They will probably be unrideable, may have health problems or behavioural problems, and will take a lot of hard work to rehabilitate.

Do you have facilities for a rescued horse or pony?
You could have what a rescued horse needs if you have a dry, secure stable and access to secure grazing. (company for a rescued horse or pony is essential, so either you have other horses of your own, or you would be keeping the horse/pony at a livery yard)

Do you have time to look after a rescued horse?
Rescued horses take up a great deal of time and energy. The horse or pony may be unwell, and could need veterinary treatment, or have behavioural problems as a result of bad management in the past.

Are you aware that rescued horses are very unlikely to be rideable?
You should not attempt to ride the horse/pony at any time unless you are an experienced riding instructor or horse trainer. This is not a way to have a free horse/pony to ride, these animals are very likely to be completely unrideable, and possibly dangerous if ridden.

Would you be happy to have a home-check?
Every potential carer will be required to have a home-check carried out by a Last Angel Equine Defence volunteer. You will then have post home-checks at three monthly intervals.

If you haven't been put off yet, please read on!

Do you have enough finances to pay for the cost of a rescued horse's keep?
Last Angel Equine Defence cannot help you with finances for the cost of keeping the horse, as we do not have the funding to do so.

Would you be willing to take in a rescued horse/pony at very short notice?
We will call you and ask if you can take in a horse in need at short notice ie this will be on the day of the horse sales that we will attend. You may get a call from us and the horse will generally arrive on the same day that we call you, so you need to be happy with that.

If you have answered yes to the above questions, and you still haven't been put off, please continue to read on....
Our plan is to visit horse sales each month in 2008. We will therefore need our guardian angels to be at the ready on those days. We cannot begin this work until we have a secure network of guardian angels to call on. (We will require your telephone number and mobile number -if you have one-so that we can call on you on horse sales days). We need people who are willing and ready to take a horse immediately. A horse that may well be in a poor state, a horse whose option is quite possibly the meat van. We know from experience, and from our work with rescue horses that with time and patience, many horses and ponies who find themselves at the slaughterhouse should never have been there in the first place and that patience, good training and management and tlc will iron out a lot of the problems they may have developed.

We want to see the same approach given to horses in need of rescue currently used for dogs. We are aware that dogs are easier, cheaper animals to keep, but we know there are many people out there who have the facilities, love, patience and knowledge that's needed to help a horse and save it from a fate at the slaughterhouse.

If you could be a guardian angel to a horse or pony, we will be behind you and with you 100%. We will help you, guide you and give you advice and support wherever possible, and stay in close contact with you throughout the entire process. When the horse or pony in your care is back to full health, either mentally or physically, we will then work with you and help you to decide if you would like to keep the horse. If you decide to keep the horse (Chances are you will! Horses have a way of getting into our hearts!) then you can adopt the horse through Last Angel Equine Defence. But, if you decide you do not want to keep the horse, we will arrange for the horse to be moved into the care of another guardian angel. Please note though that we do not have sanctuary land and stables and therefore we cannot take the horse in ourselves at short notice. We can only arrange for further temporary care with another guardian angel. We would also like to stress that a commitment of at least 6 months is preferable to ensure that unnecessary stress to the horse is not caused through being transported too often.


Some people would say that if a horse is due to be slaughtered, it is for a good reason. In some cases, ie if the horse is terminally ill or has such a chronic condition, that it is suffering, then the reason is obvious. We are only talking about those horses that are due to be slaughtered for all the wrong reasons. We are all aware that many horses or ponies still continue to end up at the slaughterhouse unnecessarily; horses and ponies that owners have become bored of, can't afford to keep, or are misbehaving when ridden. Some horses are dangerous to ride, and we stress again that you should not attempt to try and ride any rescued horse that you take on in this way. We cannot be held accountable for any accidents which occur as a result of either riding or during the care of these horses.

Rescuing a horse is by no means a walk in the park! but the rewards are enormous when you see a previously badly treated animal learn to trust again and blossom before your eyes.

To apply to become a guardian angel to rescued horses, please send an email to:
admin@lastangel.org.uk


We also require help with transport
Please contact us at admin@lastangel.org.uk if you own horse lorry/trailer or you are willing to drive a horse lorry/car with trailer in tow.

Last Angel Equine Defence
http://www.lastangel.org.uk