02 September 2026

We love Rehoming - A forever home for Heron

Dylan the pony being ridden at a horse show.

We love rehoming at Redwings! When our Guardians offer a home to one of our horses, whether ridden, unbacked or as a companion, they aren’t just helping their new best friend - they are also helping us open our gates to more horses in need, and find perfect homes for those who don’t need to stay inside the sanctuary!

There is no feeling like receiving updates from our Guardians about the adventures they are getting up to with their Redwings pony, and this is especially true when the pony was part of a significant rescue in Redwings history! Today we are experts in animal behaviour, and have an entire team dedicated to training our nervous residents, but our passion for animal behaviour really began when we rescued Heron alongside 46 other ponies in 1994.

Heron (or Dylan to his friends) when he arrived at Redwings.

The Beginnings of our Behaviour Work

Heron’s rescue was one of Redwings’ first large scale operations, and the start of us naming our groups in themes - with Heron’s group all being named after birds. The group had been living in the New Forest but were destined for a long and uncomfortable journey to the continent where they likely would have been slaughtered.

The group mostly consisted of unhandled and very frightened youngsters, the likes of which we hadn’t worked with before. These ponies were so terrified we had to change our facilities to manage them - we had to install 6ft high barriers to prevent the ponies from jumping over the standard fencing due to their huge fear of people.

Nic de Brauwere, our Head of Welfare, was working for us when the bird group were rescued. He said: “These ponies had clearly had a very bad start, and were semi-wild and feral - without rescue they faced the reality of a very grim future. They were the beginning of our work with semi-feral ponies and we learnt so much from them about how to rehabilitate nervous ponies as gently as we could.”

The ponies soon started to settle in and reveal their lovely personalities, and many of them went on to be suitable for rehoming.

Photo of Dylan the pony being ridden in a field.

Heron (or Dylan to his friends) enjoying a ride with his Guardians.

A Home for Heron

Sarah was looking for a lead rein pony for her young girls when she came across the Redwings rehoming scheme, she told us: “We were actually visiting the rehoming team to view another pony, but they offered to show us Heron, who we now call Dylan, at the same time. When he came charging out of his stable to meet us it was love at first sight! I could instantly see he had a strong and cheeky personality.”

“Dylan quickly became a beloved member of the family. He went from a first lead rein pony, to first ridden pony, to Pony Club camps and even competing at Equifest! When my girls outgrew him we gently retired him to a life full of cuddles and relaxation, though he still loves a happy hack when our neighbour’s granddaughter is visiting.

“Despite being 32, Dylan still enjoys the occasional outing to do an in-hand show. We accompany my daughter and her pony to a few shows over the summer, and Dylan loves showing off in the ring!”

“One of our favourite things about Dylan is that he is very chatty, while he can’t talk to us using words he always lets us know what he’s thinking! He is always making us laugh with his antics. He has to have a roll after he gets wet. We did a photoshoot on the beach once and he got sprayed by the sea then just stood still - then we realised what he wanted! My daughter dismounted, we took off his saddle and down he went for a good roll. After that he happily trotted up the beach again!”

Dylan on an outing in the horsebox.

Bumps in the Road

As with any horse, rehoming a rescue can come with some challenges along the way. Unfortunately, Dylan suffered a bout of laminitis, a painful hoof condition that can be fatal. Sarah explained: “Dylan suffered a very difficult bout of laminitis in 2017. It was touch and go at times which was really worrying, but he has thankfully made a full recovery. The support from the Redwings Field Officers was amazing, it was so important to us that we felt supported and like we weren’t alone.”

Dylan in his Guardian home.

Rehoming with Redwings

Could you be a Guardian to a Redwings pony like Dylan? Find out more about rehoming, who we have available, and how to apply here.

Sarah described rehoming from Redwings as: “It’s been fantastic to be a Redwings Guardian to Dylan for so long! We are so happy with the scheme, and it’s reassuring to know we have support from the team whenever we need it.”