Our horses are standardbreds which are trotters not pacers. Standardbreds are renowned for their laid back nature and willingness to learn. From experience we have found that the vast majority of trotters settle well into a life away from racing even shortly after retiring from the track. They have exceptionally good manners on the ground with many of our horses being handled by young children at the yard.

Many of the horses that come to us have completed 2 racing careers. In the most part we are looking for quiet happy hacking homes. This could also include fun rides, beach rides and the occasional clinic for some horses. Occasionally we get horses which are younger and have had a very short racing career. These horses may sometimes be suited to a more active home. In this case we will advise in the description of the horse.

The vast majority of horses that are surrendered to us are surrendered sound and without major injuries. The most common injuries are strains which in the most part heal well with rest and do not cause issues in the future when the horse is in a low level, happy hacking home.

Our horses undergo a veterinary check prior to leaving which certifys them as fit for travel. This is not the equivalent of a full vet check up. If a potential adopter wishes to have more extensive veterinary checks done on the horse (x-rays etc) they are welcome and this can be arranged but at the expense of the adopter. All our horses have the necessary vaccinations required for travel.

Our adoption fee is £1500 which includes the transport from Malta directly to your door. It also includes all import charges and related expenses. This adoption fee does NOT mean that the horse has been purchased. Horses are rehomed under loan contracts and CAN NOT be sold or passed on.

Absolutely not! Our ideal scenario would be for every horse which gets adopted to remain with his adopter till its very last breath. The horse will only be removed in cases where there has been a breach of contract and after the adopter has been contacted and all remedies or possible solutions have not had successful results. This happens only in extreme circumstances for example where the horse has been blatantly and undeniably neglected. Taking back a horse into our care uses up financial and human resources which would otherwise be used to help another horse hence this is really not something we hope to do unless there is no other option. We understand that people have different ways of caring for their horse and as long as the horse seems happy then so are we.

The first step in adopting is to fill out an application form. This can be done by sending an email to applications@rmjhorserescue.org . Once this has been filled out someone from our rehoming team will get back to you to discuss whether any of our horses may be suitable and answer any questions you may have. For you to be approved as an adopter you must provide footage of your yard as well as ridden footage if you are applying for a ridden horse. Once you have become an approved adopter it is simply a matter of waiting for a suitable horse to become available should you not have already found one.

Once you have been matched to a horse you then sign a loan agreement. Closer to the day the horse will leave Malta you will be added to a Whatsapp group chat where you can meet all the other wonderful people adopting a horse on the same truck as well as follow their journey closely as they travel all the way from Malta to your home!

Once in the UK the horse will have to be registered with S.T.A.G.B.I within a period of 30 days. We have someone from our UK team who is responsible for guiding adopters on this specific part of the process making it very easy and straightforward.

The charity, RMJ remains the rightful owner of the horse. The ideal scenario for us as a charity would be that every horse remains with his or her adopter for their entire lives. Unfortunately though in the real world we know that circumstances change and therefore it is important that we ensure that the horses are not passed on risking that they end up in the wrong hands. We understand that not everyone has the same ideas on horse management and are flexible as long as it works for the horse and the horse is happy and comfortable.

If an adopter can no longer keep their horse the horse will always have a place to come back to with us. Again, if there are options that we as a charity are able to support the adopter and allow for him or her to keep the horse then those options will be explored first but if no such options exist or can not be done due to physical or financial limitations then the horse will be taken back into our care. The adopter must give 6 weeks notice to the charity if they are no longer able to keep their adopted horse.

This depends on the individual racing owner. We do ask for adopters to stay in touch with previous racing owners should they wish to remain in contact. Racing owners surrender their horses to us in good faith that we may find their horse the retirement the horse deserves. This also helps encourage more racing owners to do the same and ultimately means we are able to safeguard more horses once their racing careers are over.

Absolutely! We highly encourage people to come over for a short trip to Malta to try out the horse or horses they are interested in. Doing so will help ensure that the best match possible is made. We can help suggest accommodation close by. Anyone visiting to try out horses must be an approved adopter first and foremost therefore they must have undergone the process and submitted all relevant information required to be approved as an adopter.

As a charity we do our best to match horse with adopter as best as possible. We do rely on the information given to us by you when going through the adoption process. If the horse is found to not be the correct match due to an adopter giving us incorrect information or misleading us in any way then the adopter is fully responsible. If there are other factors the charity will fully support the adopter and try and find a horse which would be more suitable.

This situation is terrible for all involved. Unfortunately in certain cases it cannot be prevented. Should a catastrophic accident occur whereby the horse needs to be PTS immediately then RMJ is to be advised as soon as possible and a vet report to be provided. Should the horse be PTS due to any other issue then vet reports must be provided PRIOR to the horse being PTS. We believe in following vet’s advice and not allowing any horse to suffer yet we must make sure that it is truly in the best interest of the horse’s welfare and that all other viable options have been explored.