Romeo arrived at Hope Pastures as a severely malnourished and very roughly handled foal. He found it difficult to trust people and was food aggressive, always assuming that everyone was after his food (rations must have been scarce where he came from and he had obviously always had to fight to get anything to eat).

Despite his difficult start to life, Romeo turned out to be a very people-oriented horse, and he takes a lot of security and confidence from people around him. He’s a strong-minded character and, thanks to the care and attention of the staff at Hope Pastures, as his strength grew, so did his personality.

When he was ready, Romeo went out to a loan home to learn about a life with kindness. He continued to grow and mature in his loan home and was educated in ground work slowly and carefully, and then eventually in ridden work.

But Romeo did not turn out to be an easy ride, he had learned how to use his size to his advantage (by this time he was 16.1hh) and one day out hacking, he threw his owner, hurting her very badly.

As a result of this accident, Romeo had to come back to Hope Pastures. The staff there knew he was a spirited soul but couldn’t quite believe his behaviour was just naughtiness, so they decided to investigate if there were any physical problems that could have led to his uncharacteristic actions.

Following a full lameness work up with Rainbow Equine Hospital, it was found that Romeo had some problems with his hocks, and stifle. Romeo is very much a horse who enjoys a job, he is bold and brave and he does not manage very well without a channel for his boundless energy. So the decision was made to help him carry on while he can. He was prescribed pain management treatment which would allow him to remain active and enjoy his infectious passion for life.

During his time back at Hope Pastures, Romeo found his soul mate in one of the staff members who had been caring so attentively for him. Kate is a kind and brave rider and, after spending some time working with Romeo, she applied to take him on loan.

They are a very well-matched pair, Kate loves nothing more than taking Romeo out hacking and working with him in the school, teaching him how to manage his explosive energy and exuberance. Kate and Romeo make a fabulous team, both with youth, fitness and a lust for life on their side, growing and learning together. We are so happy to see a wonderful loanee found for this fabulous but challenging horse.

Thorowgood is delighted to have been able to play a part in this gorgeous horse’s rescue and to give him a second chance at life. If you think you can help Hope Pastures, find out more about the work they do here hopepastures.org