Is the Racehorse Rescue Centre a UK registered charity?
Yes, we are a true 100% non-profit charity, that can receive gift aid. We are registered with the Charities Commission; our charity registration number is 1150864.
No we don’t receive any funding from the British Racing Authority and rely on donations from the public and fundraising activities organised by our volunteers and members of the public.
Yes. We are very aware of this negative press and strive to stay abreast of what’s going on within the charities sector. It is very sad that true charities such as ours, and many others out there like us, get thrown into the same category as these ‘business charities’ that spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on salaries and staff benefits. We have no salaries or staff costs.
RRC was initially set up with a £150,000 personal investment by our trustees, these same trustees are still today, covering 80% of our centres running costs and we have yet to finish the full development of our centre here in Carlisle.
Racehorse Rescue Centre are a registered UK charity and are regulated by The Charities Commission for England and Wales ( www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission ) This means that we have to follow regulation to provide the public with confidence that we are a true charity. We must follow compliance rules and provide transparent accountability for all fundraising activities and for every penny that we raise.
Yes, we are a RoR Approved Retraining Centre for the care of ‘vulnerable or unwanted’ former racehorses, we serve the whole of the UK.
Yes, we are truly 100% volunteer run and led, meaning we have no salaried or paid staff at all, including our trustees.
Yes, we do. We look for forever homes all over the UK for horses held at our Centre and post details on our website and our social media pages. We will never re-home a former racehorse until the horse in question has been well rested, vet checked, assessed properly, rehabilitated and retrained. We are not horse dealers, we do not acquire our horses from the track. We will always take our horses back if there is any problem.
All horses that come into us, go through a specific process where they are rehabilitated and retrained to the best of their abilities, at our centre before we advertise them anywhere for re-homing. Some horses that come into us and that we retrain remain with us to go on to providing beneficial services to the community, by providing free ‘Equine Assisted Therapy’ sessions for injured soldiers, children, disadvantaged groups and for people suffering from trauma and depression.
No. Because our mission for our horses is to find them a forever home, the title to the horse remains with Racehorse Rescue Centre. We do provide all necessary documentation required for boarding, showing, etc.
No, Racehorse Rescue horses, cannot be bred from. One of the contributors to the number of unwanted TB horses in the UK, is over breeding. RRC takes a very strong “Adopt, don’t breed” position.
Are you also a riding centre?
No, we are strictly 100% charity, and do not offer riding or any other services or products that are profit making.
We currently have 6 beautiful stables, which are within our actual centre (a further two in our yard) which also houses our office and our education suite. We own 3 acres of grazing land and have a further 6 acres for respite and grazing, which have been donated to us. We did have 10 donated acres but due to Dec floods last year the farmer that had kindly donated the land needed to reclaim it for his livestock. We have a large outdoor training area, and an accommodation block for our volunteers that come from far away.
How much does it cost if I want to re-home one of your horses?
A donation of up to £500 will be required. We will also encourage you to become a RRC member at £12.50 per year.
How do I apply to adopt one of your horses and what is the process?
Initially please use our contact form Contact Us detailing your interest and aspirations from the horse of your choice, please also include details of the home that you can provide. We will then review your correspondence and contact you as soon as possible.
All potential new owners are required to come to the centre in Carlisle a few times to get to know the horse, ride it and bond with it before a decision is made.
Strict home checks are conducted before a loan agreement will be drawn up and signed by both parties.
A donation to RRC will be required and discussed with you during the process and will need to be paid before taking your new horse home.
We will require regular updates, and we will conduct regular home visits during the first 12 months of adoption, this is for both your benefit and the benefit of the horse. Contact will then be reduced to once a year after the initial 12 months, however we will be available to you, should you need further support.
What is the process that your horses go through from rescue to being available for re-homing?
Our rescue centre here in Carlisle, handles all calls and all horses come to us to be vet checked and assessed, retrained and then go on to foster homes and grazing land that has been donated to us.
When a horse arrives at our Centre we give it a full medical by local vets and it is then turned out after a one month’s isolation period.
We monitor the horses progress with the heard and how it interacts. We handle them daily and it can take from three months to a year to bring them in for retraining, depending on what the horse has experienced by way of injury, neglect or abuse.
Retraining is a, hands on, daily practice, using basic commands in all environments such as heavy traffic on the A7, dogs running between their legs, hens landing on their backs in the stables, young children riding them in the outside arena, until we are confidant and know the horse and all its vices, what its abilities are and the best course for its future.
How many horses have you re-homed?
Since we started rehoming in 2011 we have successfully rehomed 37 former race horses
Nil – All of our horses can be returned to us after they have been re-homed but If a horse if good, and we have done our job properly with matching the horse and rider they will never come back.
We are very proud to be able to state that ‘not one’ of our horses have ever been returned to us after being re-homed, there are very few if any other equine charities like ours that can honestly state this.
Where do your horses come from?
Our horses come into us from trainers, racing owners, young adults that have taken on an ex-racer and can’t cope with it either because, of lack of time or knowledge about retraining. We have had some come in due to owners change in financial circumstances or health problems and because of family separations.
Yes, we do, we currently have two horses that have been a little more difficult to find the right homes for, due to age and the other one has a minor ongoing medical problem with his feet. We also have three horses that will remain with us as they are central to the free Equine Assisted therapy services that we provide to disadvantaged groups, children, injured soldiers and people suffering from trauma and depression related problems.