'Horse on the Hill' finds new home

A horse that was abandoned on National Trust land in Gloucestershire has been given a new home at Redwings Horse Sanctuary.

Mr Raffles, as he is known, is a 15.1hh chestnut gelding who was found living on National Trust owned site May Hill Common in Gloucestershire with a group of commoners’ ponies that graze there. Sadly no owner for him has ever been found.

The other pony owners had been feeding him each Winter, but he had not received any routine care for some time and with no owner to take responsibility for him the National Trust had grown very concerned for his long-term wellbeing. The group of ponies was also growing in number and as the land needs to be managed very carefully to support the ponies, the National Trust decided the time had come to take action.

Mr Raffles is settling in well at Redwings

They tried repeatedly to locate his owner, and when none was found they approached Redwings Horse Sanctuary, who, given the unusual circumstances and the concerns for the horse’s long-term welfare, decided to offer Mr Raffles a permanent home. However, when Redwings’ local volunteer Heather Wadley went along to carry out the initial assessment she noticed that he seemed quite nervous, which could have presented a major problem when it came to collecting him. Heather took it upon herself to visit him on several occasions before he was due to be collected by Redwings in order to get him used to being around humans, and when the day of his collection came, this tactic had clearly made all the difference.

Redwings’ Field Officer for the Midlands, Helen Glen, said: “Mr Raffles had been living with a group of semi-wild ponies for at least four years, so we just did not know how he would behave when we approached him, and were ready for pretty much anything. We needn’t have worried though as Heather’s befriending techniques had clearly worked and he was an absolute angel! He was more than happy to have a headcollar on and he walked straight onto the trailer, we couldn’t have asked for anything more!”

Mr Raffles, who is thought to be about 12 years old, has now arrived safely at Redwings Reception Centre in Norfolk, and is already settling in well. After the initial health checks and quarantine period it is hoped that he may eventually be able to be re-homed through the charity's Guardianship Scheme, but first the Redwings vets will make sure he has a full ‘MOT’ including dental work and foot trimming to bring him back to full health.

Rebecca Charley, Regional Farm and Countryside Advisor for the National Trust, said: “I have nothing but compliments for Redwings, the whole situation was handled so smoothly and we are so grateful for their help. We are so pleased that Mr Raffles has such a happy future ahead of him in their care.”

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