Draft:Bransby Horses

Bransby Horses is a registered charity based in Lincoln, UK that provides a home for rescued horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.

History
In 1947, 14-year-old Peter Hunt rescued his first horse. The four-year-old mare called Sally was found near a bombsite in South London, with a tyre round her neck. Hunt later moved to the hamlet of Bransby in 1968, where he purchased 8 acres of land and established the equine welfare charity Bransby Horses.

The charity held its first Open Day in 1975, raising £200 from public donations. By 1981 the charity was home to 74 equines.

Popular English racehorse Desert Orchid, known as Dessie, attended the 1992 Bransby Horses Open Day to help raise further funds and gain public attention. He attended multiple open days at Bransby Horses throughout the 90's, bringing in visitors from all over the country.

In November 2010, founder and honorary chief Peter Hunt passed away. and in 2011 the charity changed its named from 'Bransby Home of Rest for Horses' to 'Bransby Horses - Rescue and Welfare'.

Bransby Horses merged with 'The Horses Voice', another equine charity, in 2018.

In January 2019, the charity was involved in one of the UK's biggest animal rescue missions in history. Alongside the RSPCA, The Donkey Sanctuary, The Dogs Trust and many more animal welfare organisations, a total of 201 animals were seized from a farm in Surrey and taken into charity care, 29 of those by Bransby Horses. On August 25th 2022, a woman was given a suspended sentence after being found guilty of 15 offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

Activities
Bransby Horses is active across Lincoln and surrounding areas. Their aim is to rescue, rehabilitate and eventually rehome equines that come into their care.

The charity has two sites, one based in Bransby and the other in nearby hamlet Barlings. Only the main Bransby site is open to the public.

They host educational events for horse owners and those in the equine community, as part of their ongoing mission to positively impact the lives of equines.