ONE OF THE MORE unusual establishments in Bourne during the early years of the 20th century was a sanctuary for horses which were past their working lives and about to be put down.  

Today, these animals are invariably let out to grass but in those days there was a brisk trade in buying them for slaughter, usually in callous and painful circumstances, or sending them to the Continent for a similar fate, and after a distressing sea voyage, often in cruel and unhygienic conditions, they were killed for food. The trade in horses and the questionable circumstances in which they were bought and sold, became a cause célèbre for those who were dedicated to the welfare of animals and there was soon a clamour for changes in the law that would give some dignity to horses in old age. 

Miss Ada Cole (1860-1930) became distressed by the treatment of old and worn out work horses in this fashion and in 1927 she founded a charity known as the International League for the Protection of Horses in an attempt to bring about reforms. She also wanted to show the rest of the world that horses need not suffer in this way and so the following year, in 1928, she set up the Klondyke Horse Sanctuary on rented land situated just off West Road, Bourne, which was designed to demonstrate that horses could be slaughtered humanely and to act as a model for other abattoirs.

The sanctuary had a good reputation during its years of operation under the motto "A little model horse abattoir" and its horse ambulance used to pick up sick animals soon became a familiar sight in the Bourne district. There was also a large paddock with good grazing, a pond fed by an underground spring, a crew yard and comfortable stables. New buildings were erected and proper drainage installed and the league arranged to use the nearby railway sidings to bring in further business. 

After 18 months of trial and experiment, the abattoir was dealing with nine horses a week and had been established as a paying business although it could not meet additional expenses for the humane treatment of horses and could not therefore compete with the ordinary dealers because there was great competition in the trade and therefore many dubious practices existed. The league solved this financial problem by separating the stables from the abattoir and forming two businesses which enabled them contribute to those facilities needed to maintain the humane aspects of the operation and in 1931, they took over the entire management of the operation themselves. 

A year later, an agreement was reached with Messrs T W Mays and Sons Ltd, the local fellmongers, to run the abattoir with a representative from the league permanently in attendance. By 1933, the number of horses handled annually had reached 731 and the statistics reveal the varied nature of the work: heavy draught horses 619, vanners 31, hunters 5, hackneys 28, ponies 48. In the same year, the electricity installation and water pumping plant were overhauled and a new horse ambulance purchased, fitted with additional side doors to facilitate the loading and unloading of debilitated animals.  

This enabled the league cover a wider area and in 1937, a depot was established at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, while further improvements were made to the Bourne abattoir where an artesian well was sunk in 1939 to provide its own water and a tank with a 2,000 gallon capacity installed to maintain supplies during all weathers.  

The league proudly reported: "When the alterations are complete, Klondyke will be the most up-to-date horse abattoir in the country."  In that year, the number of horses slaughtered at the abattoir reached 818, among them many pit ponies from the coalfields that had been brought in by rail. 

The number of horses arriving declined dramatically during the Second World War of 1939-45, mainly due to the emergency conditions prevailing in the country and the rationing of petrol that restricted travelling, although there was a heavy demand for horse flesh throughout Britain to supplement rationed meat and supplies from the Klondyke were readily sold. But the league continued to send officials to make periodic visits to ensure that the abattoir was being run on the humane lines they had dictated and there were also spot checks by the Ministry of Food. 

A number of army horses also reached Klondyke at that time, arriving in this country by sea and completing the journey by train and ambulance. Business was once again picking up and by the end of 1946, the abattoir was handling almost 1,000 horses a year.  

But the general trade in horses was beginning to change as mechanisation reduced their numbers on the farms. The league reported: "The horse population in the country continues to fall rapidly and on a great majority of the farms where previously large numbers of horses were working, only one or two are now kept and they have little work to do." 

The ownership of the abattoir subsequently passed to Messrs Mays who were extending their business and had also taken over an additional acreage of grassland to provide grazing facilities and hay for animals awaiting slaughter but the firm continued to observe the code laid down by the league. 

In 1958, the league reported that Messrs Mays had proved beyond doubt that humane and commercial interests could work together successfully to obviate cruelty in slaughterhouses. By now, the number of horses passing through was declining rapidly and the following year, it had dropped to 205 which was 60% less than two years earlier while in 1960, the figure was reduced even further to 121.  

The abattoir continued to operate until 1973 when Messrs Mays decided not to renew their licence, mainly as a result of the higher standards then being demanded by the local authorities that would have necessitated costly structural alterations to the premises.  

The sanctuary was therefore closed down and all of the buildings used by the venture have since been demolished and much of the site redeveloped for housing. Few people in Bourne today know of the name Klondyke or the venture associated with it yet under its auspices, more than 20,000 horses were slaughtered there in less than forty years.