Please give a happy, healthy future to a neglected horse like John

The risks John faced

John was described by a vet as ‘grossly overweight’ when he was rescued. He was suffering the effects of a hoof condition called laminitis, which causes a lot of pain inside the hooves and is a particular risk for overweight horses.

£3 a month could help provide pain relief for a horse suffering from laminitis

£5 a month could go towards the shoes that help delicate hooves repair

£10 a month could help maintain woodchip paddock allowing a recovering horse to exercise free from pain.   

Life changes from day one

When he arrived at Redwings, John needed to spend time in a stable to help him fully recover from the laminitis. He was given pain relief and a deep, comfy bed to support his feet. When he was feeling better, John was able to be turned out on one of our special all-weather woodchip paddocks with a shelter. Although he made use of the opportunity to exercise, he showed little interest in the horses in neighbouring paddocks.

A horse transformed

Over 14 months the dedication of those caring for John helped him to lose more than a quarter of his original body weight. Luke looks after John on a regular basis today at one of our Sanctuary sites and has seen how weight loss has helped transform John’s behaviour:

“John spends a lot of his day with his best friend, Garde. They are currently being turned out on woodchip paddock and can be quite playful. Its good to see because John wasn’t used to any type of herd environment and it shows just how much happier he is these days, both with other horses and with people.”

The laminitis that caused John so much pain has now been brought under control thanks to a carefully monitored diet. His front feet are now shod, to support the delicate structures in his hooves.

Our teams have lots of experience in monitoring and looking after horses like John, so he will be able to enjoy sanctuary life with his new friends – horse and human - in a way that allows him to be both healthy and happy.

Please donate today and help neglected horses like John enjoy the benefits of a healthy future once more.

You can donate online above, or text JOHN10 to 70480 to donate £10.

Texts will cost the donation amount plus a standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from us. If you would like to donate but don’t wish to hear more from us, please text JOHNNOINFO instead.

Your donation will be used wherever it is needed most in the Sanctuary and will help to fund the ongoing care of all our residents, including John.