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PHOENIX HORSE RESCUE France
What exactly is a rescue horse? And how does a horse become a rescue horse?
Many of the horses we rescue have been bred specifically for meat. Instead of being slaughtered, we can help a horse to find a good home where it can happily live out its days.
In France it is still common to breed horses for human consumption.
Every horse rescue case is different. Some horses have been working hard all their lives in riding centres and have become too old, sick and/or lame to be useful.
They should then be retired, but more often than not, they are sent to the abattoir.
Sometimes they have been bred for racing or other forms of competition. They often start working life when they are only two years old - still babies - and physically and psychologically they cannot cope with the stress of a hard working lifestyle. Many of them too end up on the butcher’s doorstep at a very young age.
Some of the horses we are looking to rehome are perfectly sound and fit, but for one reason or another their owners just can’t keep them. We try to help these owners find them a new home.
What are a horse’s needs?
Often people think it is easy to keep a horse - a bit of land and a fence and a water supply……but of course this is not enough.
Horses first of all need an equine friend. Horses don’t like to be alone and a person cannot replace a field companion. There are 24 hours in a day, so even if you spend 4 hours every day with your horse, it still has 20 hours on his own!
Horses need regular hoofcare if they cannot wear their hooves down naturally because the soil they live on is too soft.
Horses do like shelter, but this can be provided by natural shelter like forest. Especially in the summer horses like to be in a nice shady, cool space where they can avoid flies.
Horses don’t like boxes and prefer to be out rather than shut in. Often people think horses like their boxes because they run in gaily, but this is generally because that is where they get fed. The easiest way to find out what a horse prefers is just to leave the stable door open and see where the horse goes after supper!
What is the ideal home for a rescue horse?
The ideal home is a large plot of land with several other horses for company.
Of course not everybody can provide this, but the minimum land requirement, unless extra hay and food is provided, is 1 hectare of grazing for 2 horses. You’ll need more land if the grazing is poor.
Stables aren’t necessary, but shelter is essential, especially for hot days.
Can you ride your ‘rescue horse’?
Most rescue horses have had a hard time and are not in a fit condition to be ridden when we first get them.
Some horses are up to a little bit of light hacking, but some have bad backs or other problems and cannot carry anybody anymore.
Sometimes people ask us for a ‘bombproof’ horse for children (or husbands). NO horse is bombproof!
We can never guarantee a horse will be a perfect riding horse, and especially not for children. If it was, it’s unlikely to need rescuing! A ‘bombproof’ child’s first pony is worth a fortune.
How much money is involved in rescuing a horse?
This is often based on the meat-price, which is unfortunately rather high in France. Sometimes there are vet and hoofcare bills to be taken into consideration. Microchip and paperwork is often needed. You will be told how much we have paid and asked for a contribution. We appreciate people paying for their rescue horse so that we can help others.
Prices are kept as low as possible.
Interested?
Check out some of the horses available by looking on the Horse Adoption page of this site.
If you’d like to come and see some of the horses, or if you want more information on adoption, please contact:
Letje Visser on 05 53 50 53 65
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The Law and Horses
Since 1st January 2008, all equines in France are legally obliged to be microchipped and registered.
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