Help us transform equine environments

Aim

Help us kick start the Equine Habitat Project to transform our equine environments at our Honeysuckle Sanctuary.

Healthy horses depend on healthy landscapes 

Yet across many equine environments, degraded pasture, compacted soils and increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather are placing growing pressure on animal welfare and the natural ecosystems that sustain it. 

At The Mare and Foal Sanctuary, we believe the answer lies in changing the way we think about equine environments - not simply managing the consequences of environmental degradation, but restoring and redesigning the land in which horses live. 

The Equine Habitat Project is an ambitious, long-term initiative that will transform how our equine environments are managed. By combining our high standards of horse welfare with regenerative land management, we will create healthier, more resilient habitats where horses can thrive, while restoring biodiversity and strengthening the natural environment for future generations. 

Phase One at our Honeysuckle Farm Sanctuary in Newton Abbot, Devon, is the first step. 

Through redesigned grazing systems, resilient infrastructure, improved equine movement and landscape restoration across two yards (Yard A and Yard B), we will address immediate welfare needs while laying the foundations for long-term environmental recovery. But the ambition goes further. 

This is more than an infrastructure project. It is an investment in a different future for equine welfare: one in which horses live in landscapes that are healthier, more resilient and better able to meet their natural needs, while the land itself is restored for the benefit of wildlife, people and future generations. 

The Support We Are Seeking  

We are looking to raise 10% of the total Equine Habitat Project cost for Honeysuckle Farm of £126,120. 

With the total funding secured, the project will deliver:  

• New and improved infrastructure 
• Approximately 2km of new fencing to enable more effective grazing management and support future habitat restoration. 
• Five new field shelters to provide protection from increasingly extreme weather and support more natural herd living. 
• 910m² of mud mats to reduce ground damage and improve access during wet conditions. 
• New hard-standing areas and concrete tracks to support safer, more resilient movement around the site. 
• Improved water infrastructure. 
• New gates and access improvements to support efficient movement of horses and people. 
• Improved land management 
• Rotational grazing systems that allow pasture to recover. 
• Improved pasture management to reduce pressure on soils. 
• Infrastructure designed to support future hedgerow planting and habitat restoration. 
• Landscape enhancements that strengthen biodiversity and ecological connectivity.

Every donation, no matter the size, will help us move closer to our goal and create lasting benefits for both horses and wildlife. We also welcome the opportunity to discuss wider funding partnerships and major giving opportunities.

For larger gifts or to explore how you can support the project, please contact [email protected]

The Difference Your Support Will Make 

Your support will help turn this vision into practical, measurable change. 

Healthier Horses 

• Up to 24 horses and ponies at Honeysuckle Farm will benefit from healthier, safer and more natural living environments. 
• Improved grazing systems, greater access to shelter and reduced exposure to mud and degraded ground will support their physical health, comfort and wellbeing. 
• Crucially, the project will give horses greater opportunity to live and move as social herds, express more natural behaviours and make use of their environment throughout the changing seasons.

Restored Landscapes 

• Rotational grazing, improved pasture management and resilient infrastructure will reduce pressure on soils and give grassland habitats the opportunity to recover. 
• Healthier soils and stronger pasture will create a more productive and resilient landscape, better able to withstand increasingly challenging weather conditions.

Richer Biodiversity 

• Hedgerow planting, grassland restoration and more sustainable land management will create and connect habitats, providing greater opportunities for wildlife to thrive. 
• Over time, these interventions will contribute to a richer, more diverse and more ecologically resilient landscape.

Sharing Best Practice 

• Through this project, we will create a replicable model of regenerative equine land management that delivers measurable benefits for biodiversity, climate resilience and animal welfare, while sharing learning across our wider estate and the equine sector.

A More Sustainable Sanctuary 

• The project will improve the long-term sustainability of the Sanctuary by reducing the impact of weather on land and infrastructure, improving operational efficiency and creating a stronger foundation for future development.

Every contribution will help us create immediate benefits for horses, while building the foundations for a long-term model of regenerative equine land management. 

Your support can help transform the landscape in which horses live - creating healthier lives today and a more resilient natural environment for tomorrow. 

All donations received through this Crowdfunder will be restricted to supporting the Equine Habitat Project. Funds raised will contribute towards the overall cost of delivering the project, which aims to create and enhance a suitable habitat for equines. 

The Crowdfunder aims to raise 10% of the total project cost, with the remaining funding to be secured through donors, charitable trusts and corporate partnerships. 

If we raise more than our total project target of £126,120, any surplus funds will be directed towards our general running costs so that we can continue to provide lifelong, loving care to horses and ponies in need at our four sanctuaries in Devon. 

If we do not reach our fundraising target, we have reviewed our 2027 capital plans and can delay other works to free up funds for this vital work to be progressed.  We may also delay the start date of the project until all funds have been secured. In all cases, your donation will be used to support the ongoing care and welfare of our sanctuary residents. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th January 2027 at 8:43am