Gentle giant Tess is thriving

A Shire mare rescued as a foal is now thriving and much-loved in her home, flying the flag for rescue horses everywhere every time she hacks out with her rehomer. Tess, who now stands at a stately 17hh, was rehomed by Kath as a two-year-old and has absolutely blossomed since then. Kath says:

“When I went to meet Tess, it was love at first sight – well, it was for me anyway! I’d always wanted a Shire but never thought I would be able to have one. Glenda Spooner Farm is quite local to me and I wanted to give a rescue horse a loving, forever home, so when I saw Tess – my dream horse – appear on World Horse Welfare’s website I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

Having applied for Tess, Kath was invited to Glenda Spooner Farm to meet her – and knew immediately that Tess was the one for her. Since bringing her home, the pair haven’t looked back. “Tess has a huge personality to match her size. She’s my soul mate, my emotional support and my best friend. Due to her size, I took things slowly with her and gave her lots of time to mature.

“We did lots of work on the ground, which strengthened our bond and has helped with our ridden work. Tess loves food, grass, her best friend, being groomed and pampered, and just hanging out with you.”

With her distinctive size, Tess is hard to miss when the pair are out and about exploring the countryside together. Kath says:

“Tess has become quite a local celebrity. She’s made lots of friends on our usual hacking route and we often get lovely comments wherever we go – people love to see a Shire horse and everyone who meets her adores her.

“I can’t imagine life without Tess. She’s brought me so much joy and she’s my best friend. I’ve had a difficult couple of years with my mental and physical health, and don’t know how I would have made it through without Tess. She’s always patient when I need a hug, and seems to know if I’m struggling.  She makes me laugh, cheers me up, calms me down and doesn’t ask for anything in return. She is such a special girl and I feel blessed to be her human.”

Reflecting on the process of rehoming Tess, Kath adds:

“It was really easy but also reassuring that with the process in place you know the charity is making sure it matches the right person with the right horse. It’s always nice to see our Rehoming Officer when they come out to do the twice-yearly checks, and it’s reassuring to know that there’s someone on the end of the phone if we did have any issues or I just wanted to talk something through with someone.”

If you’re feeling inspired to rehome after reading about Tess and Kath’s wonderful bond, check out our horses and ponies who are ready to find home of their own now on our rehoming pages.