Rehome a Hugs Horse/Pony
Interested in rehoming a Hugs horse or pony?
Rehoming a rescue horse is incredibly rewarding. Our list of horses available to rehome are below and on our Facebook page but there may be others that are undergoing their rehabilitation programmes and will be available soon.
If you are interested in rehoming a Hugs horse or pony and are located in the South West, please complete the rehoming application form (on the left to download) and submit online using the button to the right. Once we have your application we will be in touch for the next step of the rehoming process.
Please note, we are a small but dedicated team and therefore, are currently sadly unable to facilitate rehoming outside of the South West due to the time and resources taken to undertake initial and ongoing home checks. We are working alongside other charities so are hoping this may be an option in the future, but at the current time it is sadly not possible.
Please ensure you complete the entire form so we can find the right match for you. We cannot progress applications unless this form is completed in full. If you have any problems or questions regarding the form, please email rehoming@hugsfoundation.org.uk.
Thank you for your interest in giving a rescue horse/pony a loving home!
Horses and Ponies Available for Rehoming
(more photos of our available horses to rehome can be found on our Facebook page)
Ella
Height:
Breed: Moorland pony
Date of Birth: Estimated summer 2019
Arrived at Hugs: 2019
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion
Likes/Dislikes: Loves being with people. She is good with the farrier, being caught and is well handled.
Ella arrived at Hugs totally wild with a few other moorland rescues. She is progressing with her training, being a very brave girl and having all her feet trimmed by the farrier. This might seem like a small training goal for some but ‘Ella’ (cruella when naughty) was incredibly nervous on arrival and quite defensive with it, kicking and panicking with human interactions. Over time she has become one of the friendliest ponies at Hugs, often being the first over for nose tickles and entertaining. Could you offer her a loving home?
Fitzherbert
Height: To make approximately 12hh
Breed: Dartmoor
Date of Birth: 2020
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Suitable for: Possible children’s ridden pony when he’s older
Fitzherbert arrived at Hugs with Hermione and Hay Jude (now rehomed). They were orphan foals so needed a lot of extra care. He was wild on arrival and has found it hard to trust humans so his training has been a slow, steady progress. He will need an experienced home to continue his education but he is going to make a stunning chap.
Branston
Height: To make approximately 13hh
Breed: Dartmoor pony
Date of Birth: Estimated June 2019
Arrived at Hugs: 2019
Suitable for: Potential children’s ridden pony, in-hand work, companion.
Likes/Dislikes: Loves carrots and removing his head collars and fly masks!
Branston was orphaned at the Dartmoor drifts and was too young to be away from his mother. He had a huge worm burden and rainscald and would likely have faced the bullet if he hadn’t come to Hugs. Branston is an incredibly sweet, handsome guy and is generally good to handle etc but he is still nervous and can be jumpy with loud noises and quick movements. He usually wears a headcollar in field, will come straight over to see if you have food! He is good with his front feet and will pick up backs but needs encouragement.
Bramble - Reserved
Height:
Breed: Dartmoor pony
Date of Birth:
Arrived at Hugs: 2018
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion
Likes/Dislikes:
Bramble came to us in 2017 and was VERY nervous. He is a very handsome 2 year old Dartmoor gelding. He is now good with the farrier and to lead but is still nervous of being caught in the field/large space. He is inquisitive and would benefit from a one-to-one setting as building a relationship with someone will be the best way for him to trust humans and then be able to be caught easily.
Bramble would make the perfect pony for someone looking to build that perfect bond. He is currently in a foster home having one-to-one training and attention, helping build his confidence further.
Margaret
Height:
Breed: Dartmoor pony
Date of Birth:
Arrived at Hugs: 2019
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion
Likes/Dislikes:
Margaret was rescued from the 2019 Chagford sales. Chagford saw 258 ponies sold out of 300+ ponies entered. Unfortunately this meant that some were left unsold 😞 and therefore with an unsecured future. Margaret was one of 4 lucky ponies that Hugs came back with last year! 3 colts and a young skinny filly. Although they are supposed to be a minimum of 6 months old when they come through the sales many are much younger and Margaret was the youngest of the bunch aged, by our vet, as only around 7 weeks old when she came to Hugs, far too young to be away from her mum. She was going unsold in the auction and because of her age (She should have been relying on her mother’s milk to survive at that age) and the stress she had been under, she was extremely skinny and in very poor condition. All four had HUGE WORM BURDENS! They were all terrified and extremely stressed from being separated from their mothers during the drifts and going through the busy sale. We did a lot of handling work with them so they got used to having headcollars on (to make administration of medication easier!) plus we slowly got them used to being stroked and brushed. We are continuing to work with this little herd (and a few other youngsters we have rescued) and they are now ready for rehoming. Please get in touch if you could offer a loving home, they will make fab children’s ponies and companions. Margaret was incredibly lucky this winter and went to a lovely foster home. She has returned to Hugs with a new confidence and lovely manners. She’s good to catch, groom and with her feet.
Humperdink
Height: 11hh
Breed: Unknown but Moorland Pony type
Date of Birth: Unknown but older years
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Suitable for: Companion
Humperdink is looking for a special home where he can be a companion. He is an older pony and partially blind. He came into Hugs with a group of 12 ponies that had been surrendered by their owner as they could no longer look after them.
Lady Rose - Reserved
Height: Approximately 12hh
Breed: Mini cob
Date of Birth: Around 4 years old
Arrived at Hugs: 2019
Suitable for: She would make a fantastic in hand show pony or possible driven cob one day
Likes/Dislikes:
Lady Rose and her luscious locks to you!! Lady Rose came to Hugs as part of a group of pregnant, abandoned fly grazing ponies. She has now given birth to her beautiful baby Primrose. She has earned her title with her independent and feisty attitude! She is a very beautiful petite mini cob, around 4 years of age standing at 12hh. She would make a fantastic in hand show pony or possible driven cob one day. She has so much potential! Lady Rose is good to catch and lead, She has a lovely attitude and is a very friendly little mare but she will require a confident person to rehome her. She will be available for rehoming once her baby is weaned.
Paddy
Height: Approximately 13.2hh
Breed: Cob
Date of Birth: Around 4 years old
Arrived at Hugs: 2017
Suitable for: Potential ride/drive pony
Hugs rescued Paddy (right in photo) and Guinness in November 2017. They were only a few months old and were so weak that they could barely stand! They found an amazing home together but sadly, due to no fault of their own, they ended up back at Hugs. Guinness has since found his forever home but Paddy is still waiting for his special person. He has been started and driven lightly as a pair but will need an experienced home to bring him on as he hasn’t been in work for a while and he will need to continue his training with consistency due to being a youngster.
Hermione
Height: To make approximately 12hh
Breed: Dartmoor
Date of Birth: 2020
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Suitable for: Possible children’s ridden pony when she’s older
The beautiful Hermione is looking super grown up after her clip. She was getting very hot with all her thick foal floof still on! Hermione is a very independent, clever little girl, she’s super sassy and has begun her training with catching, leading, picking up feet etc. She’s going to make a stunning show pony/ child’s pony one day!
Yogi
Height: Approximately 13.2hh
Breed: Moorland
Date of Birth:
Arrived at Hugs: 2017
Suitable for: Non-ridden pony, companion
Yogi is an incredibly handsome boy but sadly, due to his traumatic past, is only available as a companion. He is very nervous to catch in the field but he tries so hard to be brave and trusting. He is a very sweet pony, once you’ve caught him and is good with the farrier and to be groomed but he needs a special someone with patience and understanding to continue to bring him on. He will be a really rewarding pony for someone to love.
Angelica
Height: Approximately 12hh
Breed: Moorland
Date of Birth:
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Suitable for:
Angelica is one of our ‘Dartmoor Dozen,’ a group of ponies that were surrendered to Hugs as their owner could no longer look after them. She was unhandled when she arrived so the team here have worked hard with her and she is now doing really well but she will need someone to continue her education.
Gloria
Height: Approximately 12hh
Breed: Moorland
Date of Birth:
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Suitable for:
Gloria is another of our ‘Dartmoor Dozen,’ a group of ponies that were surrendered to Hugs as their owner could no longer look after them. She was unhandled when she arrived so the team have been worked with her and she is doing well but she will need a home that can continue her education and enjoys working with chestnut mares!
Pickle - Reserved
Height: To make approximately 12.2hh
Breed: Dartmoor pony
Date of Birth: Estimated June 2019
Arrived at Hugs: 2019
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion
Likes/Dislikes: He is a loving pony and is good with the farrier, being caught and is well handled but can be nervous so needs someone who will give him confidence and patience.
Pickle was rescued just before the 2019 Chagford sales. Every year many ‘drifts’ occur across the moors. Here the moor ponies all get rounded up by the farmers/owners and separated into their own stock. Each pony can then be checked, have any appropriate medical care etc before either being returned to the moors or sent to the auctions. Unfortunately as the ponies are rounded up into different pens, the can lose their herds in the panic of the hustle and bustle. Sadly many foals lose their mothers either in the rounding up on the moor or in the pens which means a very sudden and stressful weaning. Doing the drifts in October means that many of the spring foals will be 6 months old by then and about ready to become more independent however this doesn’t take into account any late born foals. These babies are very unlikely to find their mothers again and would not survive if returned to the moors by themselves and so are either sent to the auction or they face the bullet. Any ponies left unclaimed that are rounded up also face this fate. Luckily last year for some of these orphaned foals and unclaimed ponies, a very lovely farmer allowed some of them to wait a week or two on her land to try and find homes before they were ‘disposed of’. Hugs were able to help 5 orphan foals and a young mare with a month old filly at foot.
Pickle was around 3 months old when he came to Hugs, far too young to be away from his mum. They all had HUGE WORM BURDENS plus eye infections and severe rainscald! We did a lot of handling work with them so they got used to having headcollars on (to make administration of medication easier!) plus we slowly got them used to being stroked and brushed. We are continuing to work with this little herd (and a few other youngsters from the sales) and they are now ready for rehoming. Please get in touch if you could offer a loving home, they will make fab children’s ponies and companions. All the boys are unfortunately still ‘entire’ due to the current lock down their ‘special appointment’ with the vet has had to be postponed. They will be done as soon as possible and in the mean time are available to reserve! Pickle is a lovely chunky boy who will mature approx 12hh. He’s very stocky with a good leg at each corner! Pickle is still quite shy but he is very interested in what’s going on around him and he’s quick to learn. His favorite party trick is to stand with his front legs over the stable door so he can look up and down the barn to see what is going on! He’s a very stunning boy and is going to make a gorgeous children’s pony.
See his training videos below.
Horses and Ponies Available for Rehoming in Future
(these horses and ponies are currently undergoing their rehabilitation and will be available in the future)
Dobby
Height: To make approximately 12.2hh
Breed: Mini cob
Date of Birth: 2018
Arrived at Hugs: March 2020
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion, possible driven.
Likes/Dislikes: Loves food and nose waffles. He is still learning to pick up his feet and wears a headcollar in the field but can be caught with food. He is very nervous but getting much better each day.
Dobby arrived at Hugs in March 2020 with 3 other horses (including Moomin and Dickinson) that were rescued from Surrey with the help of another charity and funding from the awesome Network for Animals. They had been abandoned and were in awful condition, covered in dirt with matted coats, lice and intestinal worms. Dobby was extremely nervous of people and is slowly building his confidence. He will now be caught and has seen the farrier and vet and was really brave. He is a very sweet boy but will need a home that can continue to build his confidence with people. This will take time but will be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Unfortunately Dobby has sarcoids, tumor masses on his skin, which are currently being treated. Once he has finished his treatment and our vets give him the all clear, he will be ready for his forever home.
Jigsaw Puzzle (AKA Jiggy or Melon)
Height: To make approximately 13.3hh
Breed: Mini cob x possible trotter
Date of Birth: May 2020
Arrived at Hugs: Born at Hugs
Suitable for: Potential children’s pony, companion
Likes/Dislikes: Loves scratches and food. He is good with the farrier, being caught and is well handled.
Jigsaw is Frances’s foal and was born at Hugs during the coronavirus pandemic. He is a very sweet boy, the quietest of the four foals we have had. He will make approximately 13hh/13.3hh so will be around the same size as his mum. We are unsure who his father is as Frances arrived at Hugs already pregnant but we think he will mature into a lightweight cob, like his mum. Once thing is for sure, he’s very handsome.
Sally
Height: 14.2hh
Breed: Irish x
Date of Birth: 2008
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Sally was surrendered to Hugs as her owner could sadly not afford her treatment. She is currently undergoing remedial shoeing and a rehabilitation plan to assess if she will be able to be ridden in the future. She is quiet and easy to handle but can be marish in the field.
Boo
Height: 14.2hh
Breed: Cob x
Date of Birth: 2017
Arrived at Hugs: 2020
Boo was surrendered to Hugs to save her as she was destined for the meat market. She has Horner’s syndrome, which means she head tilts, from a suspected broken vertebrae which may have been caused by an old injury left untreated. She is undergoing assessment at Hugs. She loves being around people and learning new things and would excel at in-hand activities. Due to her condition, she will be available as a non-ridden pony only.
REHOMED HUGS FOUNDATION HORSES
Here are a selection of the horses that we have successfully rehomed.
Molly-June Successfully Rehomed
Look at her with her new mummy in the show ring!
Bonnie Successfully Rehomed
“Adopted from the wonderful Hugs Foundation our lovely cob mare, Bonnie, who has become the best friend of a little girl isolated from her school friends. with no siblings and also unable to attend her usual riding lessons. Bonnie has done us and Hugs proud.”
Bonnie’s adoptive owner
Bumbles Successfully Rehomed
After almost a year and a half at Hugs Bumbles was adopted by a lovely home where he had a lot of adventures, going to the beach etc. He began a little training with them and he got used to wearing some tack. Unfortunately, Bumbles returned to us through a change in circumstances, which was no fault of his own. However, in June 2020 Bumbles found his forever home. We are so excited to watch his journey and see how he progresses, he has turned into the most handsome, fun pony to have around and will be hugely missed on the yard.
Prince Successfully Rehomed
Prince came to us after unfortunate circumstances led him to being abandoned by his owner. He had a very cheeky character and was incredibly handsome. He is one of the very lucky ponies that found their forever families during the coronavirus pandemic. We love seeing his updates, he looks very happy in his new home, which is what Hugs is all about, finding ponies their happy ever after.
Moomin Successfully Rehomed
Moomin arrived at Hugs in March 2020 with 3 other horses that were rescued from Surrey with the help of another charity and funding from the awesome Network for Animals. They had been abandoned and were in awful condition, covered in dirt with matted coats, lice and intestinal worms. He was an entire boy when he arrived and had a very complicated castration which resulted in a big operation. He featured on our Facebook Live project, A Daily Hug and had his own episode ‘Moo’s News on a Tues.’ He has been lucky to find an amazing forever home where he is very much enjoying life.
Jessie James Successfully Rehomed
Jessie was rescued with a group of young ponies who were abandoned. He grew into a very sweet, quiet boy and even learnt a few tricks with Hannah. He had a few very cute spots that appeared on his hindquarters as he got older. Due to his confirmation, he was available as a companion only and in April 2021, he found an amazing home.
Gatsby Successfully Rehomed
Merlin and Hettie Successfully Rehomed
The pair are getting on amazingly well. Merlin is just starting cantering, in an open field too! This is what makes our hard work worth it, rehabilitating these horses and ponies and finding them loving homes Bringing animals and people together for their mutual benefit and happiness and alleviating suffering is what Hugs is all about.💚
“What lucky people we are to have such wonderful horses and what a cracking team that you guys are at the wonderful hugs.”
Merlin and Hettie’s adoptive owner
Annie Successfully Rehomed (on right in photo)
Annie and her friends were in a poor and sorry state. Underneath her thick matted coats was just skin and bone. The little herd were constantly being monitored by Hugs staff, on four feeds each a day and had three paddocks of grass to graze to help build their strength up and start gaining weight. Annie was only a year old when she came to us and had an awful start to life. When she arrived at Hugs she didn’t know how to be caught, groomed, led… let alone someone touch her feet!
Along her rehabilitation journey she learnt all these things. She also had rugs on and even became so relaxed that we dressed her up as a Christmas present for our Christmas open day! She is just FAB and in July 2020 she found her forever home. Good luck Annie and her new family, we can’t wait to watch you grow up and see what your future brings 💚.
See her journey in the video above.
Biscuit Successfully Rehomed
Biscuit was rescued just before the 2019 Chagford sales. Every year many ‘drifts’ occur across the moors. Here the moor ponies are rounded up by the farmers/owners and separated into their own stock. Biscuit was around 2 months old when she came to Hugs, far too young to be away from her mum. They all had huge worm burdens plus eye infections and severe rainscald! Unfortunately for Biscuit, her immune system was very run down and she was covered in infected scabs from rainscald so she was clipped and had medicated baths to treat in and help kill the bacteria. Luckily she fully recovered with no permanent damage. We did a lot of handling work with the rescues so they got used to having headcollars on (to make administration of medication easier!) plus we slowly got them used to being stroked and brushed. Biscuit found her home in August 2020. She is growing into a stunning pony with a very confident cheeky character. She’s always interested in what’s happening and we can’t wait to see what she gets up to with her new family.
Penelope Successfully Rehomed
Penelope was one of the three nameless cobs from Doncaster who arrived in March 2019. They were in appalling state. Thick matted coats hiding skin and bones. They were painfully thin. Although nervous they all came with a calm disposition and blossomed into lovely mares. Penelope had a hilariously independent character and would let you know when she’d had enough and wanted to head back out to the field with her friends! In April 2021 she finally found her forever home.
Lottie Successfully Rehomed
Lottie Long Legs (now known as Duchess) was Mumma Mo’s huge foal. She was the spitting image of her mum and absolutely loved zooming around the field. She found an awesome home along with Primrose (Queenie). We get regular updates and love seeing the girls grow up.
Gandalf Successfully Rehomed
Fern Successfully Rehomed
“Our new companion pony did not take long to settle in and she is now the boss. Hugs provided all the information about Ferns character and everything was spot on. She has been an absolute delight and we all love her very much already. She is about have some training and hopefully be ridden in the near future. We promise to give regular updates on her progress. ❤🐴”
Fern’s adoptive owner
Natasha Successfully Rehomed
Idris Successfully Rehomed
Mumma Mo (AKA Moana) Successfully Rehomed
Moana was one of five ponies rescued by Hugs after being abandoned fly grazing. They all arrived pregnant with terrible feet, lice, worms and in poor condition. She was well known for being absolutely huge during pregnancy and her foal, Lottie (now known as Duchess and also in a fab home), was absolutely beautiful and a complete mini me.
Primrose Successfully Rehomed
Primrose was the first foal to be born at Hugs during the coronavirus pandemic. She was very beautiful, just like her mum, Lady Rose. She is now known as Queenie and has found the most incredible home along with Lottie (Duchess).
Huckleberry Successfully Rehomed
As Huckleberry became braver and stronger he absolutely flourished. He was great with the children who visit, looking after new ponies, causing mischief with his friends and he even had a little trip out to Pets at Home before his departure where he was definitely a huge hit with the public!
Dear little Huckleberry has certainly landed on his hooves having a special and loving new home to enjoy. He is now a very successful little show pony and finally has a loving family.
April
See her story in the video above.
Boris Successfully Rehomed
DJ Successfully Rehomed
Dude Junior was also rescued from the 2019 Chagford sales. We spotted DJ in one of the holding pens and had to do a double take! We checked the listing and realised he came from the same area as a certain ‘cool’ individual and we think he must be some sort of sibling to our awesome Dude and we had to help him.
He was rescued with 4 others, all of which had huge worm burdens, were terrified and extremely stressed from being separated from their mothers during the drifts and going through the busy sale. We had to handle them a lot in the beginning so they got used to having headcollars on (to make administration of medication easier!) And they were slowly introduced to being stroked and brushed all over. Dude Junior was very lucky, over the winter, to find a lovely foster home and returned to Hugs with excellent manners and ready to rehome! He is, of course, still a baby but he has a lovely attitude and is going to make a wonderful children’s pony. Good luck DJ and you new family!
Frances (AKA Baby) Successfully Rehomed
The beautiful Frances (AKA Baby from Dirty Dancing) came in with Moana’s group of abandoned, fly grazed, cobs and was pregnant, even though she was still a baby herself. She gave birth to the handsome Jigsaw. She was a firm favourite with the team here, due to her lovely nature, so it wasn’t hard to find her an amazing forever home.