Hope Pastures

16/10/2026

Important update from Hope Pastures: Strangles confirmed in two new arrivals isolated in quarantine 🌡️🫏

We want to keep our supporters, visitors and the wider equestrian community informed about a recent development at Hope Pastures.

Two new rescue donkeys, Boss and Biscuit, who arrived from the Huddersfield (Golcar) area and went straight to our quarantine facilities, which are separate from our main yard and other equines, have tested positive for strangles (Streptococcus equi). Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects horses, ponies, and donkeys.

Please be reassured that this is currently contained to our isolation area, not an outbreak at Hope Pastures.

Boss and Biscuit never entered our main site.
As a rescue charity, we are at higher risk of receiving equines that may carry infectious diseases, sometimes without obvious signs when they first arrive. This is why our strict quarantine and biosecurity procedures are so important.

As standard practice, we isolate all new arrivals; Boss and Biscuit went straight into our dedicated isolation unit, away from our resident equines. All new equines undergo a full health check and guttural pouch wash before they can leave isolation, helping us identify strangles and protect the animals already in our care.

Following positive results, Boss and Biscuit remain fully isolated from our resident equines and are receiving veterinary care from our Aireworth Vets Equine. We will continue to follow strict biosecurity measures to manage and minimise the risk of transmission.

🌡️Our resident equines are having daily temperature checks so that we can closely monitor their health and quickly identify any potential concerns🌡️

❗️Temporary changes at Hope Pastures❗️

With immediate effect, we are suspending all equine movements to and from the site. This means:
📍Rehoming of equines currently in our care onsite is temporarily paused.

📍We are not taking in any equines, but we are working with other NEWC-registered charities to ensure welfare equines continue to be cared for.

📍Returns from loan homes to Hope Pastures are suspended.

📍Our Hope Pastures Equine Equestrian Charity Shop is temporarily closed.⛔️

Following discussions with vets and strangles expert at Redwings, Hope Pastures will remain open to visitors for now, as this is a contained case.

However, this may change at short notice as we continue to monitor the situation.

We ask all visitors to follow any hygiene and biosecurity guidance provided by our team and, importantly, stay away from the quarantined area across the road.

What is strangles?
Strangles is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects horses, ponies, and donkeys
Strangles is highly contagious between equines, but it cannot be passed to people. It can, however, spread through direct contact and contaminated equipment, clothing, and surfaces, which is why our strict biosecurity measures while caring for them are essential.

We know this news may cause concern, but please be assured that we are taking the situation extremely seriously. The welfare of every animal in our care remains our priority, and we are working closely with veterinary professionals to protect our residents and the wider equestrian community.

How can you help us?
Managing a situation like this brings additional costs and requires specialist biosecurity equipment. It will inevitably result in fewer visitors and therefore significantly affect our income.

If you are able to support us during this challenging time, we would be incredibly grateful. You can do so in the following ways.

Help us purchase essential biosecurity equipment via our Amazon Wishlist🛍️:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/2PB2B80QBZPCC?ref_=list_d_wl_ys_list_2&filter=unpurchased&sort=default&viewType=list

Make a donation to Hope Pastures💰:
https://www.hopepastures.org/donate/

Learn more about strangles, including signs and symptoms🌡️:
https://www.redwings.org.uk/strangles

Thank you for your understanding, kindness and continued support. By working together and following the necessary precautions, we can help keep Boss, Biscuit and all the equines in our care safe.

14/10/2026

Beautiful Rio recently found his perfect match in a great loan home 🎉
It’s been lovely to receive updates on how he’s settling in and forming new bonds with his companions. Rio had really specific emotional needs and was waiting for the right fit to come along. We are so pleased for this beautiful boy and very grateful to his new family for opening their hearts to him 💕

11/10/2026

If you haven’t discovered our charity tack shop yet, you’re missing a treat! It’s packed with generously donated items from you, our supporters, and run solely by some of our fabulous volunteers, with all proceeds coming directly to Hope Pastures 💕

We often get asked about opening times in our DM's, so here’s the shop’s own page. Give it a follow to keep up with opening times, new arrivals, and pop along (when they are open) to see if there's anything that might tempt you!

📍Please read and check the pinned post at the top of our page, for the days the shop is open and follow the page for updates. We are not open any other times.

🍁🌧❄️During the Autumn Winter months we usual open on Saturday mornings. The shop is currently closed see our pinned pos.

⚠️We check the weather conditions on the morning of our openings. We will not travel in bad conditions and the site we are on maybe closed for Health and Safety
reasons. We will put a post up if this is the case. We may also be ill and unable to open. This year we have had the grand total of 2 scheduled Saturdays off. When we can, in the warmer months, we open the odd Sunday and evenings. Again we pin our opening times to the top of the page. The shop is run by volunteers and so is our Visitor Centre.

🚗Sat Nav will take you through the centre of Leeds, or coming from the other way Bradford. Ignore it! We are 6 miles away from 🛩Leeds Bradford Airport on the Leeds Outer Ring Road. So if you know how to get to the Airport head towards it and Google Maps or Waze should pick us up. Our address is Hope Pastures, Weetwood Lane, Leeds LS16 5PH

🐴All money taken in the shop goes directly to Hope Pastures which is the site we are on. They are open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 3pm. Bank Holidays and Leeds School Holidays they open on Mondays. You can drop donations off anytime they are open or when the shop is open.

💚We welcome any equine equestrian related donations in good condition. Please make sure donations are not wet or broken.

♻️We do take horse rugs and leather saddles in any condition for recycling.

🙏Without your generous donations the shop would be unable to run, so thank you all for those. We can only sell what we have been donated, like any charity shop. We run on a shoestring, we aren't a fancy tack shop but we are good for bargains.

🐕 Dogs are not allowed in the shop or to be left unattended outside.

🦵Check the sizes you need before you come. We cannot realistically tell you what size rug your 13.2hh large cob may need.

💖 You know we love you all and the amazing comments we recieve make it all worthwhile. So here is Mr Raggles our very own Hope Pastures mule. Please do share our page with your friends, as together we are making a difference to equine welfare.

09/10/2026

This horse was abandoned at a yard but thankfully, the community came together to make sure he received the care he needed. The landowner covered the costs of his treatment to ensure his welfare was looked after.

We were able to support the landowner through the process of becoming the horse’s legal owner and help secure a safe, long term placement where he would have security for life.

Sometimes, our work is about supporting the people who step up to help an equine in need and making sure that care and security can continue long term.

Thank you to all those who do their bit and more for animal welfare 🖤

🐴 Beyond the Yard | Case 3

08/10/2026

Willow & Toby 🫏🥰

06/10/2026

Squirrel doesn’t let the rainy weather dampen his spirits ☔️🥰

04/10/2026

03/10/2026

🐴 Meet Frank! 🖤

The gorgeous Frank is a 8 year old black cob gelding who has already made quite an impression!

Frank is quite the escapologist and had got into the habit of getting out of his field and taking himself off on little adventures around the local area. As entertaining as his adventures may sound, there was a real risk of him causing an accident or getting himself into trouble, so it was decided that he would be much safer somewhere with more secure facilities.

Frank is now settling into quarantine and we’ll get to know him over the coming days and see what this handsome boy is all about.

Hopefully his days of solo adventures are now behind him! 🖤

02/10/2026

Long term loan homes needed 💚

Could you help us find homes for some of our grass sensitive equines? 🐴

Some of our equines could move on to the right home but are in need of restricted grazing. They can live very happy lives with the right management. A grass free area or surfaced track system would be ideal.

While some may stay with us long term, we would love to find homes where they can enjoy more one to one care, enrichment and a loving home environment.

We are particularly interested in speaking to homes that already have or would be willing to provide a surfaced track system or suitable grass free/hardstanding area.

Could you or someone you know offer a loving long term home?

Please contact our rehoming team for more information:

📧 [email protected]

01/10/2026

Our horses and donkeys had a visit from Equine Winky Washer UK-Equine Sheath Cleaner/Hygienist today! 🐴🫧

Sm**ma can naturally build up around the sheath, and sometimes a small, hard piece known as a “bean” can form. If this isn’t noticed, it can cause discomfort and, in some cases, lead to problems when urinating.

All of our geldings onsite were very well behaved and took everything in their stride! 💙

It was a really useful and informative visit, helping us learn more about keeping our horses and donkeys happy, comfortable and healthy.

A big thank you to Kerry for coming to see us, sharing her knowledge and giving up her time for free! 🥰🐴🫧