Yelverton youngsters celebrate Christmas with ponies at the Sanctuary
Cubs and beavers brought presents to ponies at the Sanctuary this Christmas. Over 20 children from Walkham Valley Beavers and Cubs visited our Yelverton Sanctuary to fill stockings with enrichment treats for ponies in need.
The youngsters were given a tour of the yard where they learnt all about the ponies, how to care for them and why they are so special. The children then got stuck in with helping staff make enrichment treats to fill the ponies’ stockings ready for Christmas. There was even the chance to make edible wreaths for the ponies to munch on.
Our moorland rescue facility in Yelverton provides a safe home to moorland ponies who have been abandoned or need extra care. Many are rescued from the local area and have suffered neglect or been abandoned. We provides life-long, life-changing loving care to hundreds of horses and ponies each year. We are also dedicated to bringing together ponies and people who were struggling so both can enjoy life again through its special equine-assisted learning schemes.
Community Engagement and Events Officer , Scarlett Moon, explains: “This is a wonderful opportunity to show children in our community how charities like the Mare and Foal Sanctuary support the animal world here in the South West. Bringing the ponies and the children together at this special event is a lovely way to show our community what we do. Many of the children and young people we work with are the horse owners of the future. By providing a great educational experience like this we hope to inspire them to love and care for horses in the future.”
Cub Leader, Chris Shutt adds: “The children were really excited to meet the ponies and discover more about them. We think it’s so important for our organisation to connect with local charities like the Mare and Foal Sanctuary and find out how we can support them in the future.”
The event is particularly special as the yard is not normally open to the public except on advertised open days.
