Horse sanctuary counting the £10,000 cost as storm leaves trail of destruction

Storm Darragh cost the Mare and Foal Sanctuary an estimated £10,000, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The equine welfare charity said it is grateful no horses, ponies or people were hurt in the storm last weekend, which a spokesperson said is largely owing to “careful planning and regular daily maintenance of its land and buildings”. But it is counting the cost, after field shelters and trees were ripped from the ground and a Christmas visitor event had to be cancelled.

All four of its sanctuary sites were affected; field shelters were sent flying, one through a fence, at the Honeysuckle site, and the metal side of the feeder barn and wooden slats from outbuildings at Upcott Park rehoming yard near Holsworthy worked loose in strong winds.

The Yelverton Moorland rescue facility was without power all day on Sunday and a tree came down at Coombe Park education and equestrian centre.

The sanctuary’s chief operating officer Iain Wylie said staff “calmly dealt with the situation and monitored conditions closely throughout the weekend”.

“Although our top priority is to provide safe sanctuary and shelter to every one of our horses and ponies, exceptionally severe weather like this can make our work extremely challenging,” he said. “We look after 130 equines across our four sanctuary sites, with more than 400 living with ‘sanctuary at home’ carers. Our horses and ponies live as naturally as possible in safe, secure pastures with field shelters.”

Mr Wylie said the charity anticipated the storm’s challenges.

“Our teams moved equines from all exposed areas before the weather warnings were in force and monitored them closely throughout,” he said. “Thankfully the only casualties were tree branches, barn panels, a fence and outdoor field shelters. The maintenance team will be busy this week, clearing debris, assessing any damage and repairing structures.

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated staff for managing through such awful conditions. The sanctuary’s equine care team kept our ponies safe, and our retail team kept our shops open, providing a vital community service during Storm Darragh and Storm Bert two weeks before. I am incredibly proud of everyone for their resilience and commitment.”

The charity’s director of fundraising and communication Dawn Vincent said the team was very disappointed to have to cancel its “Christmas tea and tour” event, which would have raised vital funds.

“We’re counting the cost this week, but we’ve had some lovely messages of praise and would like to say a massive thank you to all of our supporters for their understanding and kindness,” she added. “As a charity we are entirely reliant on donations and work hard to make the very most of every penny donated, so it’s disappointing when such unexpected costs occur.

“Because of the generosity of our supporters we are able to give our rescued ponies and horses a much safer place to live and thrive.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in: