We are putting out an appeal to find a very special home for Lewis our retired showjumper. He is a lovely boy who would make someone very happy.

Lewis is 17 year old thorougbred that came to the Sanctuary in 2010 after he was retired from competition, we were contacted by his owners vet to say that if we didn't rehome him then the owners wanted her to put him to sleep but the vet wasn't happy with this decision as he was a very healthy horse and here at the Sanctuary we felt it was only right that we took him in and his friend Joy.

Lewis already beeen rehomed once before but due to personal circumstances he was returned to the Sanctuary, however in September 2011 Lewis suffered from sudden weight loss and he was taken to a foster home in Somerset to be given one to one care and attention, this has worked our wonderfully as he is now as fit as a fiddle and a very calm and happy horse.

Whilst with his foster family they worked on his diet needs and as you can see see from the pictures he has a very full tummy and his coat is in beautiful condition. They also worked on his anxiety which seemed to be the cause of his sudden weight loss and it is felt that Lewis is a very special case and responds well to having just one owner or family and he loves routine and having a stable he can call home.

We would recommend that the new home that he goes to would need to have one or more other horses or ponies as he loves company, especially geldings or non dominating mares and he is easily picked on. He doesn't mind being in a stable on his own but he gets anxious if in a field on his own where he can't be close to or see  other horses. Whilst at the foster home he did become friends with a donkey for a while but then changed his affections to a very pretty mare.

We would also recommend that the person wanting to rehome Lewis is an experienced rider, he is lovely to ride although he can be lazy in the school if not in the mood but true to his roots he loves jumping. Lewis prefers hacking to being in a school especially with other horses but he will hack out on his own if he knows the routes, however he can have a funny few moments on the road if cars get too close behind him but he does give you warning that he isn't happy, other than that he is relaxed and loves looking over hedges, it would be best he went to a home that has plenty of bridleways.

Lewis has a very comfortable trot and canter and although he was a speed jumper he is very controlled, although we have found that he gets very excited on his first jump of the day and you really have to hold on as it is normally a huge jump followed by a few small excited bucks but once his first jump is out of the way he is a lot more settled and controlled.

Lewis is currently being ridden two to three times a week, he is a bit creaky from his competition days and of course his age is a factor so we feel that he shouldn't be ridden everyday, plus when he does go to his new home we would prefer that he isn't ridden straight away and he is given time to get to know his new surroundings and hopefully new friends. Also we would ask that when being ridden out he is with other horses until he is confident to be on his own.

Lewis is a very loving horse and likes nothing better that being groomed and having lots of attention, he especially loves having his legs stretched and pulls the funniest faces when you get the stretch just right. Lewis is brilliant to clip and is fine with farriers, dentists and vets. He is also brilliant with young children and dogs around him and will follow you around the field to see what is going on.

Lewis's one vice is that he wind sucks, we have worked on ways to stop this but if he can find some fencing in a field he will wind suck although his habbit has calmed down the less anxious he is but he does wind suck on his stable door especially at meal times and this unfortunately is a habbit that we feel he will have for life but thankfully unlike other horses he doesn't seem to do much damage.

We are looking to find a home sooner rather than later as his foster carers have other cases that need their attention and Lewis is now ready to fly the nest, if you can help or you know someone that can offer Lewis the type of home that he needs then please fill in our rehoming form which can be found under Re Homing on our front page or call us on 01647221209 for more information.