Cash-hit sanctuary for rescued horses may have to put horses down
From This Is Leicestershire
By Tim Healy
A sanctuary for rescued horses faces an uncertain future.
Donations to Horse’s Voice rescue centre have dropped so much because of the recession that it cannot take in any more animals.
Pat Dargue, who owns the centre, in Husbands Bosworth, has had to tell people who cannot pay for their animals that they may have to have them put down.
She also fears if the centre does not have the money to feed its horses over the winter, it may have to consider putting them to sleep.
Mrs Dargue, who has run the charity for 20 years, said she had never known such hard times.
She said: “In the past two years donations have fallen by 50 per cent.
“Things are desperate. We have had to lay off our paid staff and are relying on volunteers.
We desperately need to raise funds to care for our horses over the winter (our most expensive time of the year). The economic situation is making feed prices rocket – hay will be around £7.50 per bale (it was £3 last winter) and we use three bales per day. Can you please help? By donating just £2 per month or sponsoring a horse, you will help us to continue caring for our residents and horses like Spider.
We cannot take any more animals unless it is an emergency.
“Costs are increasing and if we cannot get enough money to feed our horses over winter we may have to consider putting some of them to sleep. Even calling in the vet to do that costs money.
“Obviously, putting horses to sleep is not something we would want to do.”
The centre has room for 24 animals but currently has 11.
It costs the centre £4,000 a year to a keep a horse.
This year, hay costs £7.50 a bale, compared with £3 last year. The centre uses three bales a day.
Mrs Dargue said horses worth £5,000 a couple of years ago were now worth just several hundred pounds.
She said: “We are regularly contacted by horse owners who have lost their jobs and cannot afford to keep their animals any more.
“But we cannot take their animals. I am having to tell them they may have to put their animals down.
“We try to put our animals out to foster homes but we have had to take them back because our foster homes cannot afford to keep the horses any longer.
“We would urge people who have money to spare to contact us.”
The Horse Trust, in Buckinghamshire, is the oldest equine sanctuary in the country and is regularly used by the RSPCA to rescue and rehome horses
Spokeswoman Susan Lewis sympathised with Horse’s Voice.
She said: “We stopped taking in animals, save for welfare cases, two years ago.
“We are in an affluent part of the country and we are contacted by owners who can no longer afford to keep their horses.
“We do offer advice to owners and we suggest that putting the horse down could be the best option for the animal.
“Many owners feel relieved that we understand and do not feel so guilty.”
To help, contact: www.thehorsesvoice.org.uk
Our Compass 
This doesn’t sound right to me. There must be some other places to keep the horses not put them down. THey need to reach out to rescues etc. Before sending money please check out the facts if they really need donations and they can do fundraising. I am finding more and more people just dont know what to do and take care of animals especially rescues why is that.
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“Before sending money please check out the facts …”
I completely agree, thank you, please research and verify if anyone decides to donate.
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I would contact the sanctuary and see that the animals are still there. :There is alot of stuff happening in the UK. pound dogs getting euthanized everyday or week, lady throws cat in trash bin and she has police protection ok what about the cat she malicioulsy and cruelly did that too. link on youtube watch this people in england ok as if we dont have enough mentally deranged people in the world and she needs protection. that a laugh.
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Wanted to do a monthly donation, but nowhere on the web page would let me do that. Anybody have any suggestions?
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Hi ~
I cannot seem to find that either although the site mentions a monthly donation option. I would send them an email or contact them in some manner to inquire.
The article from Care2 was posted on my Facebook wall, perhaps there is more information in the comments there:
http://www.care2.com/news/member/615764297/2081386
Thank you so much for your consideration, I am certain they would welcome anything, here is the info and the link from which I copied it:
http://www.thehorsesvoice.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=55
The Horse’s Voice
Tel:01858 880803
thehorsesvoice@hotmail.co.uk
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Trees,
Leicester Road,
Husbands Bosworth,
Leicestershire,
LE17 6NW
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hmm I find it interesting that they say it costs them 4,000 pounds a year to keep a horse. I would like to see the breakdown of those costs before I donated.
I think it is very hard to run a rescue that relies on donations nowadays as everyone is struggling to get by and do what they can.
CJ
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Have been in contact with them and they are sending a monthly donation form out.
I feel very sorry for sanctuaries in this climate where people do not have any spare cash. More and more animals seem to be dumped on them, thanks in no small part to the likes of breeders (in my opinion, all breeder should be made to work in animal sanctuaries helping to clean up the mess they have created).
I don’t think that it is unreasonable to state that it costs £4000 a year to keep a horse – especially a veteran – when you break all of the costs down.
The wife’s horse is 19, not very old for a horse (last year lost a 45-year-old pony). The horse, an large apaloosa called Windy Indi (‘cos she farts a lot) has nervicular (you can google it) so is prescribed ‘bute’ (horse painkiller) from a vet. This has recently gone up from £50-£60 for a box. Add onto this other vet costs (such as booster jabs), wormers, blacksmith, dentist, food, supplements and livery charges (most places have put the livery charges up due to the fact that most people are skint – which has led to more people having to give up their neds and either take them to sanctuaries or sell them to the horse-slaughterer On top of that you’ve got things like winter rugs, horse transporters, straw,or shavings, haylage, etc., so I can quite believe that an older horse would cost around £4000 a year.
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It sounds fishy when there’s no address. Thats the first thing i would put out.
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It might sound fishy with no address but they are protecting the animals remember that how crazy the world is and cruelty happy to hurt animals. I would contact them directly, check with local places that know about them, get a phone number and talk with the woman or man there. get your facts first before you send money ask for expense report etc. pay pal is the safest way to send money.
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