THE DAY BEGINS before the sun has properly risen.

Mist hangs over the fields. Stable doors creak open.

Buckets are filled. Hay is stacked.

Volunteers pull on muddy boots that never seem to dry. Someone puts the kettle on, hoping for five quiet minutes before today’s numerous chores kick off.

But the phone always rings.

A horse has collapsed in a field.

A frightened pony is wandering along a busy road.

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A donkey has been standing for days, tethered so tightly it can barely lower its head to eat.

A foal is lying beside its exhausted mother, too weak to stand.

Sometimes the caller is crying.

Sometimes they’re angry.

Sometimes they whisper because they don’t want neighbours to hear.

Every call begins the same way.

And somehow, despite already being full, despite wondering where the next bale of hay or veterinary bill will come from, the answer is almost always…

Life in fear of humans

These are not stories from another country.

They are not black-and-white photographs from another generation.

They are happening here.

Every rescue begins with an animal that trusted people and was let down. Every rescue begins with suffering that should never have happened.

Every rescue begins with hope that someone will answer the phone.

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For over 15 years now, My Lovely Horse Rescue has stood in the gap between cruelty and........

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