The British Horse Society (BHS) has released photos of a pure-bred Arab stallion, Prince Darkhano, currently resident in the Society’s Oxhill Rescue Centre, as a real-life illustration of what can happen if a horse owner doesn’t make plans to safeguard their horse’s future.

Prince Darkhano, now fully recovered, was one of five pure-bred Arabians seized by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) from a stud in Derbyshire. As the RSPCA did not have suitable premises for the three stallions and two mares, they were placed with the BHS pending prosecution of the owner for cruelty. The RSPCA agreed to drop the prosecution after the horses’ owner agreed to sign the animals over to the BHS for rehoming.

BHS Head of Welfare, Rosemary Jackson, explained, “It would have been futile and cruel to prosecute the owner. She is an 82 year-old lady in poor health who had been forced to rely on an employee to care for the much loved horses she had dedicated her life to. She was badly let down, and was devastated when she realized the horses had been so neglected. She is currently in hospital and we will be helping her to find suitable homes for another six horses that are temporarily in our care.”

The Society normally gelds stallions prior to rehoming, but in the case of these well-bred animals, is hoping to place them on long-term loan to a reputable breeder. Mrs. Jackson said, “They are well-handled animals with good temperaments, but stallions require expert management