UK equine rescue sector warns its welfare safety net is under severe strain

A UK-wide survey of equine rescue centres, rehoming organisations and sanctuaries has found the sector under sustained pressure, with organisations reporting rising welfare demand, escalating costs and falling donations at a time when rehoming opportunities are becoming scarcer. The survey, carried out by World Horse Welfare and Redwings Horse Sanctuary on behalf of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC), found that all respondent organisations were at or near capacity, together caring for around 4,500 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.

The findings paint a picture of a bottleneck rather than a single crisis: 81% of respondents reported more requests to hand over equines, 67% reported more welfare concern calls, and over a third saw more animals returned by adopters. At the same time, funding is harder to come by, with 63% receiving fewer large donations and 65% finding major donors harder to secure, while rising hay, veterinary and energy costs add further pressure. In response, more than half of respondents have reduced intake numbers, over a third have introduced stricter intake criteria or been through restructuring, and two centres are facing closure. Notably, organisations said they were holding the line on welfare standards itself, with most unwilling to cut forage or bedding to save money.

NEWC chair Carolyn Madgwick said the survey "makes painfully clear that equine welfare organisations are doing everything they can to protect the equines in their care, but the system is under unsustainable strain," while World Horse Welfare's UK director Malcolm Morley warned that continued pressure, combined with extreme weather and cost-of-living strain on owners, could push more horses into welfare cases. For breeders and owners, the findings are a reminder that rehoming capacity cannot be taken for granted, and that responsible, forward-planned ownership — including realistic breeding decisions — matters more when the safety net beneath it is stretched thin. NEWC says it will share the results with governments and political representatives across the UK as it works with the sector on what support is needed most.