Final Furlong; Time to recover.

Before Christmas, the community of ex racehorse owners took a terrible blow and it exploded all over social media. The trusted and respected charity Final Furlong, failed their duty of care towards many if their animals. I haven’t written this to sling mud, only to explain what has happened to anyone wondering and help those who may still be being affected by this tragedy.

For those of you who do not know, Final Furlong was an un-registered charity based in Peterborough who aimed to care for and find homes for thoroughbreds and ex racehorses. If you could no longer care for your horse, you could either sign them over to Final Furlong for them to find a home for them, or you could keep ownership and they would help find a loan home for them. Although I have never been involved with the charity, I had always heard very good things about it and what happened came as a shock to me.

Towards the end of last year, stories started flying all over social media about the neglect horses suffered while in the care of Final Furlong. Multiple horses were removed by World Horse Welfare due to their terrible condition. One mare (Bahama Dancer) was given the body condition score of 0, meaning she was completely emaciated.

The horses left in the care of Final Furlong after these horses were removed, were also in poor condition. Bansha was rehomed through Final Furlong, although still owned by the original owner. When the loaner could no longer have him. He went back to Final Furlong until a new home could be found. Once the original owner heard of the welfare issues at Final Furlong, she fought to get him back.

Many of the horses in the care of Final Furlong were still owned by the original owners. As more people began to look into what was happening at Final Furlong, it became apparent that several horses had been put to sleep without the owner being informed or passports being returned to Weatherbys.

After this information got on social media, worried owners tried to contact Final Furlong about their horses, however Final Furlong was unhelpful and provided little information.

Many owners took to social media, desperately trying to find out what happened to their horses, wanting to make sure they are safe. Sadly some of these owners discovered that their horse was put to sleep. Some owners or people who used to know horses, still do not know where they are or what has happened to them.

There is yet to be an official statement what happened and what charges the owner of Final Furlong will receive. I personally hope they are not allowed to keep horses again, but this post is not about what happens next, its about helping those affected.

We should not dwell on the owner of FF, we should put all our efforts into spreading the word to help horse lovers find out what has happened to their horses.

Please, if you know any horse who has come from Final Furlong, please visit the Facebook group: Final Furlong, Where Are They Now? and post saying they are okay.

Or if you know a horse who has gone to Final Furlong and are worried about them, contact World Horse Welfare and Weatherbys, although they can only give information to those connected to the horse in question.

Last Updated on 23/12/2021