Sanctuary at Home FAQs

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary is looking for Sanctuary at Home carers from across the South West of England.   This includes the counties of Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.  We’ll also consider homes in South Wales and Hampshire.

You must be 18 years or over to become a Sanctuary at Home carer.  An adult must apply on behalf of a child or children who would like to become a Sanctuary at Home carer for a rescued horse or pony.

We welcome both novice and experienced Sanctuary at Home carers and all those in between, if you’re the right match for one of our horses, our team will support you.

Horses and ponies rehomed through our Sanctuary at Home scheme always remain in the ownership of The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, this way, the equine’s future is safeguarded and they will always have a place with us if needed

Horses that live out must have access to good shelter and the ability to stay warm and dry in extreme weather. As with all horses though, it will depend on their individual needs.    Your first step is to complete an application form and tell us as much as you can about you, the sort of horse or pony you are looking for and the sort of home you can offer so we can find a special match for you.

We only rehome our equines in an environment where they will have equine company in the same paddock. Horses are herd animals and appropriate herd-mates is essential for good welfare.

As a new Sanctuary at Home carer, we will visit after four to six weeks of your equines arrival to ensure they are settling in. For the first year of having your new equine we will visit more regularly to ensure you have the support whilst you learn all about each other. The frequency of visits hereafter depends entirely on your individual circumstances, but there will be an absolute minimum of one visit a year. We ensure our visit schedule is in line with standards published by the National Equine Welfare Council. You also have access to friendly advice and support from our dedicated team whenever you need it

We request carers leave an hour free for us to carry out a home visit with you. Your dedicated Rehoming Officer will need to see and handle the equine, and have a look at their grazing, and stable/shelter. We ask for you to have the passport available at all home visits, and the dates of all routine treatments so that we can keep all of our records up to date. We are there to support you, so this is your opportunity to ask questions and chat through anything you want to with your Rehoming Officer.

If you want to move your horse to a new premises, (whether on a temporary or permanent basis) you will need to let us know in advance with as much lead-time as possible so we can arrange a pre-visit at the new location. Equines should not be moved to premises we have not seen. You will need to keep us updated with your new address and contact details so we can contact you regarding your sanctuary horse.

In most cases, we don’t provide tack and rugs, unless the horse or pony has a medical reason that requires specialist equipment.

Our Sanctuary at Home carers are responsible for arranging all transport. If you feel you will have any difficultly with this, please let us know during the application process and we can help by suggesting transporters, and discussing requirements for safe travel.

Having suitable public liability insurance is necessary to safeguard you against any potential claims resulting from the actions of any horses in your care. You will be required to show us the policy each year on a home visit. We strongly recommend you also take out vet insurance. Vet bills for equines can quickly mount up should an accident or illness occur, and you need to have a plan in place on how to cover these costs in times of emergency.

You’ll need the ability to commit to any routine or unexpected vet costs, as all costs are the responsibility of the carer for the duration of the loan including all vet bills.

Becoming a Sanctuary at Home carer means rehoming horses and ponies from our charity and helping provide a sanctuary at home for as many years as you can on a loan basis.

However, should your circumstances change and you can no longer provide sanctuary at home, the horse or pony can come back to us if they ever need to. Many of our Sanctuary at Home carers tell us this gives them peace of mind should their circumstances change.

We ask for a minimum of 21 days’ notice to end the loan, however the exact timeframe will depend on what is in the best interests of the equine and the availability of space or suitable homes. This may mean the timeframe to return is longer than 21 days. We ask for your continued commitment to providing the highest standards of care for the equine until suitable arrangements can be made.

Where appropriate and possible we will try to directly move the equine into another home rather than coming back to the sanctuary, and will need your support to facilitate this move.