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Adopt Shanty

Mixed Breed · Unknown

The beautiful Shanty came into our lives as a very sudden emergency and surprise. We were bursting at the seams with horses, some living in our menage, not enough sponsors and funds coming in, building work still going on and not the time to rescue more horses. However, we were called by someone who knows us, what we do, and how we ride our horses (bitless) and said we have to take him! Now! The reason was this poor horse was being sold as a riding horse as he was no longer valuable to his owner, because he is a beautiful horse and apparently a very good riding horse. So he was being sold on as a rider to a harsh handler. The problem was that Shanty was drugged – a lot – to hide his pain of a blown tendon, facial nerve damage, and broken ribs. We again don't know the history, all we know is what we were told – he caught his lip on his fence (a metal mattress base), pulled it off, and it was a recent injury but no problem. He was being ridden in a heavy bit, aggravating the injury and causing his mouth to fill with blood. This is why they wanted us to buy him, as they knew that even if we were to ride, he would not have this problem. So we did an urgent appeal on Facebook to raise enough money to match the other offer and take him there and then. Within days, we soon found out he couldn't even walk 1 metre without a very high painkiller. It took 6 months of tests, vet visits, X-rays, steroids, bandages, and love to bring Shanty back to being able to walk drug-free. He is better and better each day and learning to love his life and make friends. Another story about Shanty on a personal note, when I (Emma) was a young girl, I didn't have a lot of friends, only animal friends. But I was not allowed a horse, so I had an imaginary friend, called Shanty (so it was the obvious name for our nameless rescue). He was big, tri-coloured with a brown bum and a black tail. The moment I met the real Shanty, I felt I knew him and there was another reason we had to rescue him even when we said no more horses at that moment.

Read original (es)

The beautiful Shanty came into our lives as a very sudden emergency and surprise. We were bursting at the seems with horses, some living in our menage, not enough sponsors and funds coming in, building work still going on and not the time to rescue more horses. However we were called by someone who knows us, what we do and how we ride our horses (bitless) and said we have to take him! Now! The reason was this poor horse was being sold as a riding horse as he was no longer valuable to his owner, because he is a beautiful horse and apparently a very good riding horse. So he was being sold on as a rider to a harsh handler. The problem was that Shanty was drugged – a lot – to hide his pain of a blown tendon, facial nerve damage and broken ribs. We again don't know the history, all we know is what we were told – he caught his lip on his fence (a metal mattress base), pulled it off and it was recent injury but no problem. He was being ridden in a heavy bit, aggravating the injury and causing his mouth to fill with blood. This is why they wanted us to buy him, as they knew that even if we were to ride, he would not have this problem. So we did an urgent appeal on Facebook to raise enough money to match the other offer and take him there and then. Within days we soon found out he couldn't even walk 1 metre without a very high painkiller. It took 6 months of tests, vet visits, x rays, steroids, bandages and love to bring Shanty back to being able to walk drug free. He is better and better each day and learning to love his life and make friends. Another story about Shanty on a personal note, when I (Emma) was a young girl, I didn't have a lot of friends, only animal friends. But I was not allowed a horse, so I had an imaginary friend, Called Shanty (so it was the obvious name for our nameless rescue). He was big, tri coloured with a brown bum and a black tail. The moment I met the real Shanty I felt I knew him and there was another reason we had to rescue him even when we said no more horses at that moment.

Size
Small
Age
Location
🇪🇸Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Shelter
Tenerife Animal Sanctuary
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Cared for by Tenerife Animal Sanctuary · Santa Cruz de TenerifeLearn about Mixed Breed

Listed 2 weeks ago

About Shanty

What life with Shanty looks like

Shanty is a small adult mixed breed horse waiting at Tenerife Animal Sanctuary in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Adopting a horse is a long-term commitment that almost always requires either land or a boarding stable. The shelter will discuss the horse's training level, vet history, and what kind of work or companionship they're suited for. Expect ongoing costs: feed, farrier, vet, and stabling.

🇪🇸Adopting from Spain

Spanish protectoras generally include sterilization, all vaccinations, microchip ID, and EU pet passport in the adoption fee (typically €250–€400 for a dog, €100–€180 for a cat). Many maintain partnerships with rescue transport providers across the EU.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain browse more horses in Spain.

Frequently asked

Adopting Shanty, answered.

How do I contact the shelter about Shanty?
Use the phone, email, or website link in the sidebar of this page. Tenerife Animal Sanctuary handles screening and the adoption contract directly — TailHarbor doesn't broker the conversation. When you reach out, mention you saw Shanty on TailHarbor so they know which animal you're asking about.
Can I adopt Shanty if I live in another country?
Yes, in most cases. Rescues across Europe routinely place animals abroad — Tenerife Animal Sanctuary will tell you what they need (EU pet passport, rabies titer, transport coordination) and whether they handle transport themselves or refer you to a partner. Plan for an extra €100–€350 in transport costs depending on distance.
Is Shanty already vetted, vaccinated, and chipped?
Most horses on TailHarbor leave their shelter with sterilization, current vaccinations, microchip ID, and an EU pet passport included in the adoption fee. The vet status on this page reflects what the shelter has reported — ask them directly if you need details on specific vaccines, recent bloodwork, or chronic conditions.
What happens if Shanty isn't the right fit?
Every reputable rescue accepts an animal back if the adoption genuinely doesn't work — that's part of the standard contract. Talk it through with Tenerife Animal Sanctuary early rather than rehoming privately; they know Shanty and can place them more successfully than a second-hand listing can.
Why does the description sometimes read awkwardly?
TailHarbor translates shelter descriptions into English from the source language (ES). Translation is imperfect — names of streets, donors, and shelter-specific terms occasionally slip through unidiomatically. For the cleanest read, click the source link to see the shelter's original page.
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