Sheikh Mohammed's Racehorse Rehabilitation Centre

This week's Horse and Hound magazine ( 22nd May) carries a very interesting article on Sheikh Mohammed's new 'in-house racehorse rehoming scheme'. A retraining centre has been set up at Badlingham Manor, in Cambridgeshire, for which the residents are all horses owned, funded, and specially chosen by the Sheikh himself. They are unlikely to be his best champion stallions, or any mares, since these will naturally be retained for breeding. But all of Sheikh Mohammed's horses are superbly bred, so anyone who is lucky enough to eventually acquire one of the retrained ones will be getting a fantastic horse - and a real bargain, as the new owners are only asked to make a donation of £100. Some horses go out on loan. (Of course, prospective rehomers have to pass a vetting and matching process first.)



The project is still quite new and small, having been started in 2006 and being able to take 20 horses at a time. No doubt the Sheikh - who owns thousands of racehorses worldwide - will be wanting to expand the programme as it gains momentum. It's good to see influential owners like him demonstrating a responsible and caring approach to their retired racers. Anyone wanting further details of the Badlingham Manor scheme can contact the manager, Sophie Candy by telephone : 01638 569130



The article has some details on racehorse rehabilitation methods, some of Badlingham's success stories, (Summoner, Beatnik, Old Kent Road), and an important note on the issue of overproduction of racehorses. I can't find a direct link to the feature at the moment, but will post it if I do. Meanwhile, the full article is on pages 28-32 of Horse and Hound (22 May 08)