Guidance Notes

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Terms and Conditions of buying a horse from HEROS Charity

HEROS retrains ex-racehorses available for rehoming either for sale or on permanent loan.

HEROS horses are only sold with the express agreement of the previous owner and this would have been specified when they were initially gifted.

We also require references for anyone buying a horse from a professional equine person i.e. vet or farrier together with a character reference.

To make the right decision you are invited to try the horse several times. We mutually want to be confident and happy that you have chosen the right horse. Horses are NOT allowed to go out on trial.

The price of each horse varies depending on its ability, temperament, conformation and soundness. A lifetime’s experience in selling and rehoming ex-racehorses means we price our horses very accurately.

To complete an application form online visit the HEROS horse online application page. Download a useful PDF checklist HERE.

Office: 01488 638820 – Hilary Parsons (Charity Administrator)
Mobile: 07770 877543 – Grace Muir (CEO of HEROS Charity)
NOTE: Any donations made to the charity are non-refundable

Terms & Conditions of Leasing a horse from HEROS Charity

HEROS aims to rehome and retrain as many horses as possible into useful and fulfilling lives following their racing careers.

All the horses we lease are on permanent and life-long terms, we only enter into short-term leases in very exceptional circumstances. We need responsible and caring lessees to take our horses, lessees who understand the work and commitment we give to them when their racing days are over to prepare them for their new life. It can be too easy to just return a horse and that is why we spend considerable time ensuring the horse is ready for a new life and is correctly matched with the new lessee.

Available horses are on our website with a brief description and picture. If you are interested in arranging a visit, with a view to leasing a horse, please call the office to book an appointment or complete our online form.

Once the horse has been rehomed we are always on hand to offer help and support. In the event that the match is unsuitable the horse can be exchanged within the first month. After that time another donation and agreement would need to be entered into. We are however realistic and look at each case individually.

Some horses can be offered on a lease with a view to purchase at a later point.

To complete an application form online visit the HEROS horse online application page. Download a useful PDF checklist HERE.

Office: 01488 638820 – Hilary Parsons (Charity Administrator)
Mobile: 07770 877543 – Grace Muir (CEO of HEROS Charity)
NOTE: Any donations made to the charity are non-refundable

Terms & Conditions of gifting a horse to HEROS Charity

HEROS aims to retrain and rehome as many horses as possible into useful and fulfilling lives.

Whilst there is no age limit on horses coming into HEROS Charity every referral has to be fully assessed verbally with the owner before we move forward. On the basis of the initial discussion, the horse may be visited by a HEROS representative and we will need a full veterinary report or vetting.

We do not take horses in to put them down as we consider this to be the owner’s responsibility. However, our experienced and compassionate staff will be able to give you comprehensive advice and guidance to help you make the right decision for your horse’s future.

We mainly concentrate on horses who are able to retrain to do another job. However, we are also very pro-active and experienced with horses needing specialist care for rehabilitation following injury.

Obviously seasonality and current numbers on site restrict us but we do run a waiting list.

Please do call us to discuss your horse in more detail. If we can’t help we may know someone else that can.

To complete an application form online visit the Gifting a Horse online application page. Download a useful PDF checklist HERE.

Office: 01488 638820 – Hilary Parsons (Charity Administrator)
Mobile: 07770 877543 – Grace Muir (CEO of HEROS Charity)
NOTE: Any donations made to the charity are non-refundable

Terms & Conditions of returning a lease horse to HEROS Charity

Please bear the following in mind when you take on a HEROS horse. They are intended to be life-long leases but we do recognise the fact that circumstances are sometimes out of your control and in difficult circumstances you may need to return your horse.

All the horses we lease are on permanent and life-long terms, we only enter into short-term leases in very exceptional circumstances. We need responsible and caring lessees to take our horses, lessees who understand the work and commitment we give to them when their racing days are over to prepare them for their new life. It can be too easy to just return a horse and that is why the initial work we do, before you take a horse on, is very important. To this end you need to remember the following:

We will only exchange horses that are found to be not suitable in the first month of the lease term
You must always give us one month’s notice of a return being required. In exceptional circumstances you will need to pay one month’s keep when returning a horse at short notice
You will be expected to pay transport costs for the return of the horse
We want to build up a good working relationship with our lessees and would therefore expect transparency at all times, anything else can affect the horses in our care
HEROS lease horses remain in the ownership of HEROS Charity.

HEROS reserves the right to take the horse back if at any time we learn that the horse is not cared for to the standard we would expect.

Office: 01488 638820 – Hilary Parsons (Charity Administrator)
Mobile: 07770 877543 – Grace Muir (CEO of HEROS Charity)
NOTE: Any donations made to the charity are non-refundable

HEROS CHARITY POLICIES

Sometimes due to pre-existing physical or behavioural conditions it is not possible or appropriate to rehome a horse. In these exceptional circumstances HEROS Charity will sadly make the decision to put the horse to sleep.

This decision is never taken lightly and is always made with careful consideration and much discussion with our vets and our team of equine professionals.

The right timing for euthanasia is vital for good equine welfare. When making our decision we consider the following points:

Is the horse suffering?
How much discomfort or distress is the horse in?
The horse should not have to endure a medical or surgical condition that has a hopeless chance of survival.
What is the likelihood of recovery or at least an acceptable return to an appropriate and pain free life?
What kind of specific care will the horse require and can those needs realistically be met without compromising its welfare, now or in the future?
Is the behaviour of the horse likely to cause unacceptable risk or danger to handlers or potential lessees?

HEROS CHARITY POLICIES DOCUMENTS

Safeguarding policy

Equality and Diversity