As the coronavirus disaster unfolds impacting on human health, please think about the knock-on effect on our sick and injured horses, as The Racehorse Sanctuary team struggles to cope in these uncertain times.
Horses are flight animals and can easily hurt themselves. Thoroughbreds fare best with a purpose in life and for many this is racing. The Horse Welfare Board sets the highest possible standards for racehorse welfare for life, but nevertheless injuries still happen. Even our older former racehorses can injure themselves in their paddocks in a fit of exuberance, despite our level of supervision, or they can fall sick.
Through our Peter O’Sullevan High Dependency Unit we will take on rehoming even the more difficult rehabilitation cases, where an injured racehorse need time to recover, or time for us to get into its head. The costs for this are very much higher, than simply matching a horse to a lifetime keeper. In some cases, we have a happy horse, for whom we cannot find a safe home: to them we provide sanctuary for life,
Our veterinary bills can be horrendous, but as in the case of our poster boy Warrior, who even after five years with us still needs veterinary checks and a specialist farrier to look after his feet. We will not give up on our sick and injured horses, where they have the prospect of a good quality of life in our care. Please donate generously to help us to help them, for life.