SEVENTEEN rescue horses and ponies are once again facing an uncertain future after their sanctuary owners were hit with a legal bombshell.

David Craig, of the Happy Horses Sanctuary and Rescue Centre, has been told by lawyers to vacate his main Lytchett Matravers site by the end of next month.

The 25-acre plot is in probate, a lengthy legal process which has forced sanctuary volunteers to launch a desperate search for new homes for the affected horses.

Mr Craig, of the Corfe Mullen-based rescue centre, said: “We have other smaller fields but the Lytchett Matravers site is our largest.

“We cannot just put the horses on the road and we cannot even afford to put them down – but they are healthy horses.”

Volunteers have witnessed a sharp rise in the numbers of owners struggling to meet the costs of keeping horses in recent years.

“We’ve actually had to refuse to take any more,” said Mr Craig. “People are finding it hard to pay for feed, for transport costs, for vet bills.

“We have taken good thoroughbred horses whose owners have unfortunately lost their businesses and their homes.”

The sanctuary was established in 1990 to rescue former racehorses and thoroughbreds.

Mr Craig, who houses a dozen other horses and ponies at smaller sites near Corfe Mullen, said: “We really are quite desperate to find new homes or alternative sites for the horses and ponies affected.

“I’m happy to hear from anyone in Dorset who can help with either donating land or anyone who wants to take a horse on.”

Visit happyhorsessanctuary.co.uk to view the Happy Horses gallery or email info@happyhorsesanctuary.co.uk if you can help in any way.