An imaginary story of a new arrival at Heartbeat Home for Horses
My name is Norman, and I am a new arrival at Heartbeat Home for Horses. I am 17hh, which is BIG, and I'm not what you would call handsome, but let me tell you my story:
My companion Jess, and I, have had a good home since we finished work. Jess is also a BIG horse and, due to our owner's change of circumstances, she was no longer able to keep us in the manner to which we had become accustomed. In fact, she could no longer keep us at all!
So, reluctantly, our owner advertised both of us for re-homing. Plenty of prospective new owners came to see us but we kept hearing the words "very big" and "expensive to feed" being repeated. Initially, I was not too concerned as I was sure it would only be a matter of time before someone would take us both - because we are both quiet and well-mannered, with no bad habits. But, we remained 'on the shelf.'
After a while, the situation grew more worrying. It was suggested that perhaps it would be better to separate "Jess and Norman" and let people choose which single horse they would like to re-home. It was then that I realised I was in BIG trouble - when it came to a question of choice, I stood no chance; it was a one-horse race and I wasn't the winner! Jess might not have the appeal of a Shetland, or the looks of a competition pony, but compared to me, she was a beauty. I felt ill. What would become of ME?
While the worrying continued, the people from Heartbeat came to visit us. They understood the situation and knew the right course of action to take for the benefit of us, the companion horses. They knew that Jess and I should be kept together. But they also knew that they are a small, relatively young charity, and were already close to their limit on guest numbers. The Heartbeat people went to a corner of my paddock, had a big natter, and did some mobile phoning, and came back to say that, with some moving around in the stabling, it had been agreed that we should not be parted.
The rest, as they say, is history - here we are, happily together in our retirement at the Heartbeat Home for Horses.
We know we are very lucky, because
- BIG horses are very difficult to find a retirement home for
- BIG horses are more expensive to feed,
- BIG horses do need more room and
- BIG horses don't have the instant attraction of small ponies
Have a look at some of our present guests - you'll probably be very attracted to them, and perhaps in particular, those BIG horses who are obviously enjoying the companionship of other horses, like Bob and Thatchmaster.