Tenerife Horse Rescue’s Debut on National UK TV
Did Anyone See It?
Did anyone catch Tenerife Horse Rescue’s debut on national UK TV yesterday?
If not, here’s a glimpse of what you missed — complete with the usual TV twists, added drama, and a few laughs.
Approached by the TV
Three months ago, we received a phone call from a researcher for Channel 5, British TV.
They were planning an episode of Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday in Tenerife.
The concept of the show is simple — a “poor family” experiences a rich holiday while a “rich family” experiences a working holiday.
This particular “poor” family usually took working holidays to fund their trips, so the rich family came to us to do a working holiday at our sanctuary.
Don’t Trust Everything You See on TV
Although little was exaggerated from our part — the idea that “the needs of the animals come first and the volunteers second” is absolutely true — the show did add some creative editing.
They made the finca look much more “run down” than it really is. We’re still new and building, so yes, there’s construction, but we’re far from shabby! The infamous “pile of bottles” shown out of context made us look like party animals when in fact it was material for our eco bottle walls.
None of our fancy eco buildings made it into the final cut, but we understood why — and we all watched together as a team and laughed.
What amused us most was the misleading shot of where the girls stayed. They were actually in our yurt — which is relatively luxurious! Maybe too luxurious for a “poor” holiday — a compliment in disguise.
Katya and Julia
Katya and Julia were truly lovely people, and we loved every minute of having them here. They fit right in — even off camera.
We spent evenings around the fire, enjoying communal meals and great conversation.
They told us how they built their success through hard work and dedication — inspiring, humble women who embraced our no-waste lifestyle and love for animals.
We still keep in touch and hope to see them again one day with their families.
Follow them on Instagram:
Julia | Katya
Why Did We Do It?
Free advertising, of course!
As we rely solely on donations to care for our animals, we need as many people as possible to hear about us.
It was a gamble, but it paid off — even if they kept showing the boys walking around topless and in towels!
Overall, we were portrayed fairly. It showed our daily challenges, our dedication, and the organised chaos that defines our team as we try to save as many animals as possible.
We’d do it again in a heartbeat. The whole experience was amazing — the crew, the guests, everyone involved.
We’re proud to have had the opportunity to share our story with the world.
So if you haven’t seen it yet, you can catch the episode now on Channel 5 Catch Up!
