Jinx: the horse that was with SPCA for four years

Jinx arrived at SPCA in 2015, after an inspector removed her from a home where she wasn’t getting the care and attention she needed. With a difficult past, Jinx couldn’t be ridden – but had a lovely nature and socialised well with other animals. All she needed was a family to call her own.

No one knew then how long it would take to rehome Jinx. When she finally found her forever home in December 2019, she had spent 4 years in SPCA care, holding the record for the longest stay SPCA animal in New Zealand.

Jinx’s new owner Nicola first laid eyes on Jinx when she was checking the news and saw an article written about her plight. She watched an accompanying video of Jinx four times – and knew immediately that she might be the person to finally give Jinx her forever home."As soon as I saw her I thought I have got to have her," she said. But when she called SPCA to find out more about Jinx, she was told the horse had already found a new home.

Disappointed, Nicola thought that was the end of the matter – until she received an email from SPCA asking if she was still interested! Nicola was still interested and travelled to Auckland from her home in Wellington to meet Jinx at her foster home. Jinx and Nicola spent time together and their connection was instant. “I knew she had chosen me,” says Nicola.

It took two and a half days to transport Jinx to Wellington, with regular breaks to ensure Jinx was ok. After the long journey, Jinx arrived at her new home: an equestrian centre in Ohariu Valley. Now Jinx has heaps of space, friends to keep her company and plenty of carrots.

SPCA operates a no time limit policy for adoption animals, meaning that animals like Jinx stay in SPCA’s care until they find families of their own.

Now just a few months on from her adoption, Jinx has settled in well to her new life and loves having a home of her own. “She’s been doing really well. She neighs when she sees me,” says Nicola. “She is very loving and likes kisses – she loves attention. She has a lot of love to give.”

After such a long wait, Nicola is proud to finally give Jinx the stable life she deserves. “I’ve got Jinx for the long haul,” she says.“This is her forever home.”