Tinto and Fiona’s special bond
Every year Together for Animals member World Horse Welfare celebrates the joy that rehoming a horse brings with their Rehomed Horse of the Year competition. The competition is a great way for rehomers to share just how special their rehomed horses and ponies are to them, as well as highlighting just what rescue horses can go on to do.
The winner of the Rehomed Horse of the Year competition 2018 was Tinto, who was rescued in 2005, with a group of horses who were not receiving the care they needed from their owner. Tinto underwent rehabilitation at the World Horse Welfare’s Belwade Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Aberdeenshire before he was ready to be rehomed.
Tinto was crowned the Rehomed Horse of the Year champion thanks to his incredible bond with rehomer Fiona after 13 years together. Fiona explained how she came to rehome Tinto:
“I was considering buying a horse, but my friend had rehomed from World Horse Welfare so persuaded me to consider doing the same. We went to Belwade Farm to look at two other horses and whilst I was there, I looked up to see Tinto standing at the top of a hill, almost as if he was saying ‘Look at me!’.”
Tinto developed into a lovely all-rounder in Fiona’s care and the pair have had endless fun together. Tinto seemed to know when Fiona was diagnosed with a very serious illness in 2014 and looked after her especially carefully when she was in the saddle during that time. Fiona said:
“I thought entering him into the ‘Best Friend’ category was the perfect way of highlighting what Tinto means to me and how much I valued the support he had given me during my illness. I was delighted and amazed that DJ Sara Cox chose him and then to find out he was the overall winner was incredible. We were so thrilled!”
Tinto has a home for life with Fiona and their heart-warming story illustrates just how special and rewarding it can be to rehome a horse from a charity like World Horse Welfare. Keep an eye on our social media during October for more stories showing just how rehoming a rescue horse can change your life!