Yard supervisor
Charlotte Britton
Hooked after her very first horse riding lesson at the age of six, Charlotte now makes a living out of caring for horses and donkeys.
Horses usually arrive at our centres through our inspectorate. This means that they have often been victims of neglect, cruelty or abandonment.
The start of a new life
When a new horse arrives at Lockwood Horse and Donkey Centre they need to stay in isolation for four weeks, to ensure that they don’t pass on any infectious diseases. During this time Charlotte and her superiors are solely responsible for their care.
Horses will often arrive with little, or no information, about their handling or experiences.
It’s so different from my previous job at a livery yard, where you knew everything about the background of each horse. Here each horse has to be assessed when they arrive.
Essentially, we have to start from the very beginning with each horse.
Once a horse has passed a full assesment they are moved to the rehoming stables in the main yard, ready to start a new life.
If a horse needs a little more help before they can find a new home Charlotte will, with a little guidance, design a rehabilitation plan to help improve their welfare, well-being and teach them some basic manners.
Horses for rehoming
Each morning the horses who are ready for rehoming and the donkeys, who are permanent residents, are given their breakfast and turned out into the paddocks. The process of mucking out the stables then begins.
There’s room for 25 horses and 30 donkeys at Lockwood, so there’s always plenty to do, and plenty of mucking out!
During the afternoon the horses are exercised from the ground, long-lined or lunged. This not only keeps the horses in good condition but also teaches them to listen and understand basic commands.
We’ve got lots of young horses in at the moment, they’re all so cheeky and wonderful characters. They can be a little naughty at times but this is good to see when they have had such a poor start.
I love working here. You get to work with horses that really need you!
Thinking of owning a horse or pony?
It is worth remembering that horses can live a lot longer than dogs and cats. So a substantial commitment of time and money is needed if you are thinking of owning a horse.
You can get more expert advice on how to keep horses and ponies healthy and happy in our horses pages.
If you're thinking of giving a home to a horse or pony, consider rehoming one of the many horses in our care. Adopt a horse from us.
