Our History

The story of our sanctuary

Our history of rescuing, rehabilitating and retraining horses and ponies spans more than three decades.

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Rosemary Kind, and registered as a charity in 1992.

Because of Rosemary, more than 1,000 horses, ponies and foals in need have been rescued in the UK and 631 are in our care today.

Black and white picture of Rosemary in a newspaper

Rosemary’s Legacy

Rosemary was born in 1939 in the middle of London, the youngest of four children. As WWII began her siblings were all evacuated but due to her age she remained with her mother while her father served in the Air Force. Often, in those early years, animals were her only company, including a rescued dog called Peter who went everywhere with her.

There were always horses in her life. As she got older, she would sneak out of school when the local horse market at Southall was on. What she witnessed there stayed with her for life. It was there that the passion to save all equines in need was embedded.

On leaving school, she worked as a secretary and an usherette to make ends meet but every spare moment was spent helping at the local riding stables.

She moved to Chudleigh in 1987 with her husband, Brian, finally able to have land and stables of her own. It was soon full of rescued horses and ponies. She often took in those equines that other people had given up on or that just weren’t wanted anymore, bringing them back to health. To Rosemary, life was sacred even if to others it was dispensable.

Rosemary Kind feeding a horse

Dedicated to rescuing

Rosemary was incredibly touched by the plight of the Dartmoor ponies at that time when so many were being sold for meat each autumn. She desperately wanted to do more and, after much research and a lot of advice from others already in the equine rescue world, she formed the Mare and Foal Sanctuary in 1988 and registered it as a fully-fledged charity in 1992.

Her vision was to ensure that the smallest, weakest, injured or most unwanted horses and ponies had care and a home for life.  She instilled these ethics in her children, Syra and Simon, both of whom joined her later to work in the Mare and Foal Sanctuary. She dedicated her life to rescuing and looking after equines, only retiring in 2013.

Rosemary died peacefully on Monday 6 June 2022 with her family at her bedside. She is survived by her children, Syra Bowden and Simon Avery, her husband, Brian Kind, having passed away some years earlier.

Here at the Sanctuary we’re holding fast to her vision. It’s honoured on a daily basis by all the staff who dedicate their working lives to the horses and ponies in the sanctuary’s care.

Explore Further

Visit Our Sanctuary

Connect with our rescued horses and ponies, hear their back stories and meet the knowledgeable grooms who care for them.
Read more

Get Some Advice

We provide advice and support to horse owners or people who are thinking about getting a horse or pony. We also offer support to smaller equine welfare sanctuaries and other equine professionals.
Read more

Support the Charity

We rely entirely on donations and legacy gifts to carry out our work. A donation today can help to sustain our ability to offer sanctuary for horses and ponies.
Read more