Equine Assisted Services

We create an experience of sanctuary for people within our sanctuary for rescued horses and ponies through our Equine Assisted Services

We offer human equine interaction through equine assisted learning, equine assisted wellbeing and equine assisted activities to children, young people and adults in our community with our rescued horses and ponies. People of all ages relate to our horses’ and ponies’ life stories, especially how they have overcome adverse experiences, which brings hope, a renewed sense of meaning and future direction to the lives of our participants.

We are a fully inclusive organisation offering both a person-centred and equine-centred approach.

As an equine welfare charity, our horses’ and ponies’ needs are paramount. Our horses and ponies are equal partners in our team. You can find out more about our extensive equine welfare standards here.

Why horses and ponies?

We believe that horses and ponies, as sentient beings and close companions of humans over the centuries, have a value and a purpose.

Horses and ponies are prey animals that have a natural flight instinct, which means they are always in the present moment understanding their environment. They are also pro-social, congruent and naturally curious, providing us with constant feedback through their body-language and behaviour on how we are, which we can reflect upon for our self-discovery and own learning moving forward.

We love seeing the difference horses and ponies make in people’s lives and the difference people make in their lives.

Child with horse
Coombe sanctuary

Our facilities

We work with our rescued horses and ponies at our beautiful 80-acre Coombe Park Equestrian and Education Centre near Totnes. We have both indoor and outdoor arenas at the heart of our working yard, as well as indoor and outdoor classrooms.

Alison Murray with horse

Meet our Education team

Our experienced team’s professional backgrounds are in education and equine welfare.  All team members are qualified equine assisted learning (EAL) facilitators, have completed specialist training and hold accredited qualifications relevant to their roles in addition to their initial qualifications in education.

What We Do

Visit Our Sanctuary

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