Mare and Foal Sanctuary Appeal for Special Homes

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary have launched an appeal for special homes in the South West of England for foster horses who require socialising and training over the next few years.

The work will run alongside the charity, with one of the five young horses expected to be deployed to loving new homes to undergo an education programme which will help bring horses and people together for each others benefit.

An equine welfare charity, The Mare and Foal Sanctuary provides alternative education and training to people through equine-assisted learning, therapeutic riding and outdoor learning in nature with its rescued horses and ponies.

Diangelo (pictured below), Icon, Ilyssa, Kenn and Mason are all young horses who have been rescued or born at the Sanctuary and specially chosen as having the potential to join the education team in a few years’ time.

The rehoming of these youngsters through the charity’s Sanctuary at Home scheme will enable them to mature in a home setting with a knowledgeable carer who can help prepare them for their important role.

Syra Bowden is the Sanctuary’s Director of Equine. She says:

These are special horses and we’re looking for special people to care for them for a fixed term.

We’d like help with their socialisation and in-hand training until they’re mature enough to return to the Sanctuary to begin ridden work and further assessment for their suitability for our education programmes.

Whilst we can offer this in sanctuary, we believe a home setting is more advantageous for them at this crucial stage in their growth and development.

We’ll work closely with the carers to keep up to date records of their training, achievements, milestones, setbacks and all aspects of their care. It will be a real team effort working alongside the staff here at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary for the duration of their stay. The special people who provide a foster home and continue the initial training of these horses will be able to stay in touch with their progress when the horses return to their important work in the education team.”

The profiles of Diangelo, Icon, Ilyssa, Kenn and Mason can all be viewed on the charity’s website at www.mareandfoal.org/rehoming-horses and the charity welcomes people to apply online in the first instance – this being the first step in the process of becoming a Sanctuary at Home Carer.