Twenty Three Thoroughbreds Rescued... Twenty Three Thoroughbreds Rescued...

In the summer of 2018 we received an urgent and desperate plea to help 23 Thoroughbreds who were facing immediate eviction after bailiffs had moved in to foreclose on a failing Newmarket stud. The horses, including pregnant mares and a three month old foal, had to be removed within a couple of days. With their owner already evicted from the premises, the outlook for the horses was looking extremely bleak as no-one had come forward to give them a home. We knew that when a previous stud had gone bankrupt, the horses had simply been taken to Beeston Horse Sale and disposed of for meat.

With time fast running out, we sprang into action, and with the relieved cooperation of the stud owner, brought all the horses, including some elderly mares, back to the safety of the Sanctuary. As our driver left with the last of the horses, the bailiff explained that we had rescued them just in time as they were booked in to be destroyed the next day.

After the horses safely arrived at Hillside, some of our supporters expressed surprise that no one in the racing industry had come forward to help. Shockingly, although there is a lot of wealth in horse racing, it is a callous industry that does little to help the horses when they are no longer of use.

Thoroughbreds That Don’t Make the Mark...

Supporters may remember our 2012 investigation at the Red Lion Horse Slaughterhouse in Nantwich. While putting up hidden cameras, we saw many frightened but healthy horses, including Thoroughbreds from the racing industry, waiting in the lairage to die. Their only fault being seconds too slow on the racetrack. On the following nights, when we returned to collect the cameras, we would find their dismembered remains scattered about the premises while our footage showed how often they were not properly stunning and faced what must have been an agonising death...

73 Cows... 73 Cows...

Supporters may remember that, in 2017, we took in a herd of cattle after Jay, a vegetarian farmer, could no longer bear to send them to slaughter. Alex Lockwood, an independent film-maker, brilliantly captured the brave changes that Jay and his wife Katja made as they began the long journey to transform their farm to grow ‘animal friendly’ organic produce. The film also documents Jay’s surprise and relief when told Hillside had offered to give a home to his cows. You can watch the film by searching the internet for ‘73 Cows’