Malta’s Only Horse Foundation Closes Down After Volunteer Is Assaulted By Landlord
RMJ’s Horse Rescue, Malta’s only charity dedicated to rescuing and caring for severely neglected horses, is shutting its doors after a bitter ongoing dispute with their landlords.
RMJ had been renting stables in Salini where they would house and take care of their 35 abandoned horses until they were ready to be re-homed. As of last month, RMJ was notified that rent would increase by 700 euros per month, making it impossible for the NGO to cover its costs.
“This is a post we hoped we would never have to write but yet it seems we cannot put it off any longer,” RMJ’s Horse Rescue said in an emotional statement.
“Last week we were advised that the rent of the retirement field would be put up. We have just now been informed by the owner of the stables where we rent out stables for our rescue horses that the stable rent is also going to be put up. We were already struggling with field bills and we simply cannot afford to pay more rent. We now have the daunting task of trying to sort out a place for our horses until the rent finishes assuming we are not made to leave before,” they continued.
After going public on Facebook, it emerged that the land in question was in fact government land designated to be a chicken farm, and the farmer was subletting it to third parties illegally.
Having exposed the landlords for abusing government land, RMJ started receiving insults and threats from the landlord, and at one point were almost run over by the landlord’s partner whilst washing one of their horses.
The situation came to a head yesterday when one of their volunteers was ‘grabbed by the neck, thrown on the ground and repeatedly punched’ by the landlords partner, resulting in RMJ having to stop their operations, fearing for the safety and wellbeing of its volunteers.
Unless a solution is found to this problem, RMJ, along with their 35 horses, will be forced to close its doors and Malta will no longer have a foundation to care for its abandoned and neglected horses.
RMJ have filed a police report after the incident and obtained a medical certificate which they intend to use to pursue legal action.
If you know anyone that can help find RMJ a home tell them to get in touch here
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