Christmas has come early for 22-year-old former race horse Kelray Scarlet Buccaneer, who has joined the herd of retirees at The Horse Trust.A victim of the credit crunch, the much-loved 15.3 chestnut gelding faced an uncertain future when his owner lost his job and the family spiralled into debt.
Bucc had been with his owner for 17 years. At the end of his racing career he was head-shy, tired and suffered with swollen fetlocks. But love and care turned him into a true gentleman, always willing to please, who went on to win many dressage and eventing competitions, eventually retiring to livery in 2004.
“Bucc has been on our waiting list for nearly a year – but a sudden downward turn in the family’s finances meant they could no longer afford even outside livery costs, so we stepped in and brought his admission date forward as the horse was at risk,” explains Susan Lewis, from The Horse Trust.
Bucc has since made history as one of the first animals given the strangles blood test developed at the Animal Health Trust with Horse Trust funding.
“This showed that he had been exposed to the disease at some stage, so he was held in quarantine isolation for further tests which, fortunately, showed that he was clear of the infection and not a carrier,” Susan adds.
“Now he runs free with our herd and is making new friends for his first Christmas in what we are sure will be a long and happy retirement.”
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