Norfolk charity Redwings rehomed record number of horses and ponies in 2022
It's been a bumper year for the animal welfare charity - which has two sanctuaries in Norfolk
Last updated 18th Jan 2023
Norfolk-based animal welfare charity Redwings says it rehomed 154 horses and ponies last year - a record number for the organisation.
109 of those animals found new homes at sanctuaries run by the charity, including sites in Aylsham and Caldecott.
Staff working for Redwings improved the conditions of 622 horses last year by offering advice to owners or removing animals that were being mistreated.
Among last year's success stories were five horses that have recently started a new life at the Turpins Lodge Riding School in Oxfordshire.
14 hand, eight-year-old cob Jonesy, who was rehomed to Turpins Lodge in January 2022, was born at Redwings after his mum Bridget was found in a cargo container in Norfolk.
She was severely underweight and with damage to her eye.
However she was able to deliver a healthy foal, who was then named Jonesy as a nod to the Bridget Jones films.
He has since taken part in regular lessons at the riding school.
Caroline Catling, owner of Turpins Lodge, said: “The ponies we have had from Redwings have all settled in so well, and were backed and riding away fairly quickly."
"All the work the Redwings team had put in, including preparing them for the vet, farrier, dentist and innumerable handling situations, meant they were set up for success, and made our life much easier.
“Our experience with Jonesy showed just that when, on only his first or second hack once backed, he was being ridden through the village and encountered a cement mixer, by some roadworks, and where the road was really narrow.
"He just walked straight past as if to say ‘Bring it on!’ and that was a perfect sign for us that he was going to be a good fit for the riding school.”