Europe

On arrival, the horses are given time to wind down and socialise with other horses. This time could be as long as six months for rehabilitation if the horse is recovering from an injury.

When the holiday is over, the retraining begins. This includes teaching the horses to stand at the mounting block, being tied up outside the stable, as well as lots of basic handling, schooling and ensuring they are good to hack out, both in company and alone. Those who can go on to jump will start pole work and then jumping. At the start of the programme, we know what the horse can physically go on to do and our aim is to find out what the horse will enjoy. We then start to look for a home within the UK.

At this stage we start considering the new owner. All applicants are checked to see who would most suit a particular horse. There is no top or bottom to the list, just whoever looks the best match. As well as the horse’s ability, temperament comes into consideration. We have had horses who need 24-hour turnout, one-to-one attention, or no mares nearby, and all this has to be assessed before a decision is made.

When a suitable applicant is identified, they will be invited to the yard to meet the horse. The applicant will groom, tack-up and ride the horse, firstly in the school and then on a hack. Julie, our Rehoming Manager, will be on hand with the usual rider of that horse, who will ride the horse first. The applicant may be invited for a second visit to ride the horse.

Once the applicant and our rehoming team are happy that a suitable home can be provided for the horse, the applicant will have the option to purchase the horse from us for £500 + VAT. At this point the applicant will enter into a purchase contract which contains certain provisions for the benefit of the horse’s long-term welfare. This includes a right of refusal for Godolphin to buy back the horse in the future should the new owner decide they are no longer able to offer the horse a home, or where the horse is found to be kept in a poor condition. In addition, we will ask the applicant to sign a Weatherbys' non-racing agreement. The passport is stamped 'non-racing' and returned to them as the new registered owner.

From time to time, a member of our rehoming team will visit to ensure that both rider and horse are getting along well. The applicant will be responsible for maintaining the horse to a reasonable standard at all times and we encourage people to let us know straight away if they encounter any difficulties so we can help and advise them.