Rescue horse Spike is transformed to winning dressage star

During a firearms raid on a house in Norfolk, police discovered 15 horses at the property, including two emaciated ponies locked inside a filthy shipping container. One of these was a frail black colt, Spike, who was too weak to travel to our Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre. Spike had suffered obvious neglect as he was also covered in lice, had overgrown feet and had a massive worm burden.

While Spike was initially very poorly, his affection for the grooms was palpable. For his young age, he also had a very wise head on his shoulders; when he was well enough to socialise with other horses, it quickly emerged that while he loved to play he was the sensible chap in the herd. As he grew in strength and stature, his calm and kind nature coupled with his balanced paces looked promising.

When he was old enough, Spike took work under the saddle in his stride and in 2013 keen dressage fan Pat Pomp rehomed Spike as a Pleasure Competition horse. Pat continued Spike’s education with dedication and enthusiasm, turning this unassuming young horse into a confident regular in the dressage arena.

“Everywhere we go people just absolutely love him and always come and ask about him or talk to him. He is becoming quite famous due to his appearances on social media! It is hard to pinpoint the best thing about Spike as I would have to make such a long list – he is a just a much loved horse. I would not hesitate in recommending rehoming to other horse owners as the charity has so many lovely horses just waiting for kind owners. The staff are just amazing and you can always get advice and help. They talk you through everything very thoroughly before you make a commitment.”
Pat Pomp, Spike’s rehomer

Spike has gone on to win British Dressage Elementary Silver classes and to qualify for the BD Regionals at Elementary silver level.