“Kindness, Care and Knowledge”
The Mare And Foal Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Rosemary Kind, who has rescued and looked after horses and ponies all her life. In 1992 the Sanctuary became a Registered Charity, and has since rescued and found loving homes for a large number of horses and ponies.
The Sanctuary’s aims are not just to rescue neglected, unwanted or abused horses but when possible to rehabilitate, retrain and eventually rehome them into loving, knowledgeable environments. We also try to educate people on all aspects of horse welfare.
In July 2005 we finally managed to buy our own farm which ended 17 years of renting properties for the Sanctuary. This was a huge step forward for us and we’re extremely grateful for all our supporters who have made this possible. We’ve since bought two smaller farms (Coombe Park and South Manor)
We own over a three hundred horses and ponies of which most are cared for at loan-homes away from the sanctuary (although we do regular homechecks to ensure their well-being).
We also have 10 charity shops in the South and East Devon areas which bring in a steady income.
We also work proactively with other equestrian groups and charities as well as the local and national media in promoting awareness of equine issues such as the Dartmoor Pony problem.
We hold several regular special events, such as our two sponsored rides and our annual summer show. In addition to this we attend other fund-raising and profile-raising events such as summer fetes, carnivals and so on.
In addition to our regular full and part-time staff we benefit from a very helpful core of volunteers both in the stables and in the shops without whom we could not survive.
In 2010 we were accepted into the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) with whom we hope to help improve equine welfare in the UK.
