Have you heard about Blue Acre Horse Rescue?

We wanted to find out a bit more about this charity site. This is what we learned.

Blue Acre Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre started life in 2002 with nothing but passion & determination. 10 years later they are still there operating on a farm in Old Windsor and in 2010 achieved charity status. At the centre you can meet Bob, Caron, Rebecca and many other helpers and volunteers.

The centre is located in Old Windsor on a 40 acre farm, which is host to lots of wildlife such as foxes and rabbits, and the nearby flood plains are a haven for many bird species.

At present there are 40 horses, foals, a donkey and a mule, rescue dogs, cats, countless chickens and ducks but without public support and fundraising it would be impossible for Blue Acre to survive. Blue Acre takes in horses and other animals at a moment’s notice and do whatever is needed to do to get them well again.

How it all began:

Caron’s story…

“In 1997 Bob said ‘why don’t you bring your horse Raffles to the farm?’ so I did! We needed a companion for Raffles and we found Blue. Blue was an Arab breed, 29 yrs old whose owner was moving and couldn’t take him, so we gave Blue that much needed home. That was the beginning, with just two horses.

“Blue went to many shows and always came home with a rosette, everybody loved him. We decided to call the stables Blue Acre in his honour when he died aged 32.

“Next we rescued Ebony, a beautiful Shire cross. She was in a terrible state when we first took her in, she had maggots in her feet and sores round her heels that wouldn’t respond to any treatment. The vets tried everything but eventually her immune system gave up and she sadly passed away.

“Over the years we have had quite a few horses pass through, most have been happily re homed, some have a permanent home here, others sadly loose the fight to live.”

‘I never want to see such horror in an animal’s eye again…’

“One of our success stories was Andy, a Welsh B dun pony. He was so scared when he arrived; local kids had thrown bricks at him and shot him with bb guns. I never want to see such horror in an animal’s eye again. It took 4 yrs to get rid of that look, gain his trust and to be able to catch him in the field. Then he was ridden and loved by the children who came to the farm. Seeing the change in him over the years was very rewarding, just to know we made a life worth living.”

Unexpected arrivals…

Caron goes on to say “Just recently 2 new arrivals joined us at the farm, although we were not expecting them! Penny our Welsh A had a little foal that looks a bit patchy with extra long ears…a mule! It appears our donkey stallion has been misbehaving.

“He wasn’t the only misbehaving stallion; we also had a miniature Shetland foal in August 2012 named Tara.”

Bluff the Welsh Orphan…

“Bluff is another success story; he was orphaned on a mountain in Wales.At Blue Acre, we had a mare who had lost her foal so I got in touch with the National Foal Bank & they put me in touch with a horse hospital in S. Wales. We agreed to meet half way so I drove to Bristol and collected Bluff in a Volvo Estate (we had some funny looks from other drivers with a foal in the back of the car!) Unfortunately my mare wouldn’t feed him, so we had to bottle feed him every 4 hrs! At 8 months he was struggling to walk with locking patella, but after intense work & physiotherapy he made a full recovery.”

So come and join Blue Acre on 1st December for some festive fun, food & drink. Gates open at 10am and close at 5pm. Entry is £5 or a family ticket for £20. Once you are in Old Windsor there will be signposts along the way, so you will not get lost. This is a farm so please wear suitable shoes. There will be heaters dotted around the arena marquees but please wrap up and keep warm so you can enjoy your day out. Check out all the fun and buy tickets from their website at www.blueacrerescue.org

You can pick up some Christmas gifts and help support a wonderful local animal charity. You can even buy some Blue Acre Free Range eggs! Or adopt a horse!

How to find Blue Acre:

Blue Acre Rescue, Ham Island, Old Windsor SL4 2JT.

Entering Old Windsor from the Windsor direction, go around the roundabout and head up the Straight Road. Just past the Toby Carvery take the left turn, Church Road, follow it to the bottom and round to the left.

On the left hand side is Ham Lane, take that turning and follow all the way to the single track bridge (white) and go over it.

From there keep going straight on through the water treatment works and Blue Acre is at the end of the road.

THE CHARITY’S OBJECTIVES ARE SPECIFICALLY RESTRICTED TO THE FOLLOWING:

A) FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC TO RELIEVE THE SUFFERING OF HORSES IN NEED OF CARE AND ATTENTION AND, IN PARTICULAR, TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN RESCUE HOMES OR OTHER FACILITIES FOR THE HOMING, CARE AND TREATMENT OF SUCH HORSES;

B) TO PROMOTE HUMANE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS ANIMALS BY PROVIDING APPROPRIATE CARE, PROTECTION, TREATMENT AND SECURITY FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS WHICH ARE IN NEED OF CARE AND ATTENTION BY REASON OF SICKNESS, MALTREATMENT, POOR CIRCUMSTANCES OR ILL USAGE;

C) TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ABOUT HORSE WELFARE IN GENERAL AND THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY AND SUFFERING AMONG HORSES;

D) TO OFFERING SHELTER OR SANCTUARY FOR HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS WHICH ARE IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION; PROVIDING MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR ANIMALS; ACTIVELY SEEKING NEW HOMES FOR “RESCUED” ANIMALS;

E) TO IMPROVE THE STANDARD OF SICK HORSES IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE LONGEVITY OF THEIR LIFE IN A COMFORTABLE, SAFE ENVIRONMENT.