Source: by Fran Jurga as published in Equus
“In one of the classiest moves by anyone at the top of the international horse world in a long, long time, Princess Anne adopted a horse in need…”
“This is the one!” A Welsh Cob mare named Annie caught the eye of Princess Anne. The mare needed a home and Princess Anne needed a riding horse. Annie now has a new home. (World Horse Welfare photo)
Imagine you’re a royal princess. You could pretty much have any horse in the world.
Now imagine you’re a royal princess who is a former Olympian. A former jump race jockey. And an enduring military officer whose duties call for ceremonial mounted occasions.
Not only could you buy any horse, but you’d be able to ride it pretty well, too. The sky’s the limit. In fact, people would probably be trying to give horses to you if you were that person.
That’s the case for Great Britain’s Princess Anne. She lives in the world of eventing and point-to-point racing and military-trained horses, all sectors of the horse world where the norm is a 16-hand (and up) Irish or warmblood horse. And she does need a new riding horse for use around her farm at Gatcombe Park in England.
Did Princess Anne go horse shopping at Westphalia in Germany or the Millstreet Show in Ireland? Did she send agents to the young horse shows or put the word out to all who worked under her last year when she headed the British delegation for the 2012 Olympics?
Far from it. In one of the classiest moves by anyone at the top of the international horse world in a long, long time, Princess Anne adopted a horse in need from the sheltered adoptee list of World Horse Welfare (WHW). The British charity–over which she happens to preside–operates several farms in Great Britain that take in horses in need, ranging from horses that have been the victims of terrible abuse and neglect to horses that have to be abandoned by owners who can no longer afford them.
In a stall inside one of the WHW barns, Princess Anne came literally eyeball-to-eyeball with a sturdy mare who is, oddly enough, named Annie, and whose legs are about half as long as the eventers and steeplechasers the Princess formerly rode. Better yet, Annie is a Welsh Cob, a native British breed. And she’s just exactly what Princess Anne, who is now 63, wants and needs…CONTINUED
Click (HERE) to read the story in it’s entirety and to comment at Equus
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- Princess Anne urges people to adopt abandoned horses (telegraph.co.uk)
Categories: Equine Rescue, Horse News
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Long live the Queen.
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Surprisingly, the video showed a woman who understands the need for finding new homes for horses in need and I imagine she just made it fashionable to do so and that should help the adoption rate.
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Wonderful story. I find it very appealing that the English Royal Family loves animals!
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Whata wonderful story for this pony.
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There is a God and he hes touching hearts and their steeds everywhere. Thisfairy tail is beauty. Just simply beauty.
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I am no princess but i feel like one when i am with horses my neice once said to me. Her nickname growing up was the blue princess and her ride was black beauty an adopted unwanted hackney and they won boxes of ribbons and trophies as a very young girl. They were quite a pair. Funny this story reminded me of those wonderful times!
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It’s a step forward for Princess Anne and her new needy horse, Annie. But, it will be better when Princess Anne and eventer, Pippa Funnell, openly oppose horse slaughter in Europe rather than just the transport of horses from Poland and Romania to slaughter many kilometers away passing by local abattoirs. The slaughter has to stop no matter where it is along with the overbreeding of equines.
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Horse slaughter in Europe is especially a dirty business that includes money laundering.
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It is presumed the meat industry in the US also includes money laundering.
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A wonderful story which everyone can appreciate, especially those who are in constant protection and care for our equine friends. Princess Anne is a woman of class, dignity, compassion and respect. She has certainly provided attention to a much needed cause. Thank you.
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Excellent work. It could not come at a better time.
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Just wonderful. 🙂
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Thank You Princess Ann, You are one awesome Princess with a warm heart also !!!!!!
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If any breed is “recycled” for eventing and point-to-point (steeplechase), it is the Thoroughbred.
I applaud HRH and hope she will find room in her home and heart for more equines.
I think her ex is still working for the US eventing/2-3 day trial teams….could have that wrong. I haven’t followed in over 18 months.
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Members of the Royal Family support several dog and horse charities both in Britain and worldwide. In addition to horses, they’ve also adopted rescue dogs so they’re aware of the need for re-homing animals.
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