Visiting us
Almost 600 rescued horses and ponies have lifelong care at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary. This means they’ll live the rest of their lives at one of our peaceful reserves, or with a dedicated Sanctuary at Home carer who understands their individual needs.
Around 120 rescued equines are homed at our four Sanctuary sites across Devon. They live in herds in beautiful fields, as close to their natural environment as possible. These equine nature reserves are havens of tranquillity, allowing our horses and ponies a safe space to recover and grow stronger.
The Sanctuaries are not open for members of the public to drop in, but we welcome prebooked small group visits on specific days throughout the year. These visits are more personal and informative and aim to help you discover a special connection with nature and with the horses and ponies that live here.
At Coombe Park Education and Equestrian Centre near Totnes, you’ll spend an hour with our team members discovering more about our rescued equines and the life-changing work we do to heal and rehome horses and ponies across the Southwest.
We’ll explain our daily tasks in looking after them and you’ll meet lots of our four-hoofed residents to learn about their heart-warming stories and achievements. Together we’ll explore this beautiful site and find more horses and ponies at liberty in the paddocks. You’ll learn a little about equine behaviour, how we care for the biodiversity on our land and why caring for the countryside is so important to us.
Some of the horses and ponies you’ll meet might include some of our best-loved sponsorship ponies, such as: spirited Sir Didymus the indomitable miniature Shetland; the inseparable Shetland pair Morgan and Mousey Prince; elegant and gentle mares Tammy and Vogue; and Geronimo, the skewbald moorland pony who finally found his confidence with us, after losing an eye.
Each one-hour slot is for a single group of friends or a family group so there is plenty of opportunity to ask about our work and take photos of the horses and ponies you’ll see.
Well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome. Please bear in mind that some of the paths are uneven and can be muddy underfoot if it’s wet.
Book a private tourVisiting your Sponsorship Pony
All of our sponsorship ponies are cared for at our four sites across Devon. Please click here to see if we have upcoming events or if your pony’s site is open to visit. You can also contact our sponsorship team on sponsors@mareandfoal.org to arrange a visit by appointment or to make any further enquiries.
Arena Hire
As an equine welfare charity which has a leading role in the ethical handling and training of horses and ponies, The Mare and Foal Sanctuary is also currently piloting ways we can make our arenas available for hire to horse and pony owners/riders who are also interested in the highest standards of evidence-based, ethical training.
Please register your interest in arena hire using the form below or contact us at supporters@mareandfoal.org if you would like to know more.