Support Our Ponies & Programmes

Aim

Help us protect our ponies, improve our facilities and fund outdoor learning and therapeutic programmes for our community.

Support Our Ponies

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We're The Wild Mane Project, a small not-for-profit organisation based in Dane Bank, Tameside. We have worked incredibly hard to get The Wild Mane Project up and running, but we need your help to get over the next hurdle.

We're raising money to help us:

• Protect our ponies – Install CCTV to improve security across our land.

• Create secure grazing areas – Put up additional fencing to give our ponies somewhere they can graze away from public access without being disturbed.

• Develop therapeutic and wellbeing riding – Purchase suitable riding equipment, including accessible mounting equipment and specialist equipment to support disabled children and adults, as well as participants with SEND, SEMH and other additional needs.

• Fund places on our programmes – Help children, young people and adults access our programmes when they are unable to get the funding they need.

About The Wild Mane Project

At The Wild Mane Project, we work with children from the age of five, young people and adults at different stages of their lives.

People come to us for all sorts of reasons. Some children are struggling to access school or college, some have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, learning disabilities or have experienced trauma. Others may be struggling with anxiety, isolation or more complex difficulties that affect their everyday lives. We also work with adults and parents who need support themselves.

We offer equine-assisted learning, wilderness living skills, outdoor education, therapeutic programmes, practical skills, nature-based learning and creative activities. We also deliver workshops in schools and community settings, work with alternative provision and PRU settings, and can provide support as part of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

We want people to be able to learn and take part in ways that work for them. Not everyone communicates in the same way, learns at the same pace or needs the same level of support. Our programmes allow us to work around the individual, their abilities and what they need at that time.

We also have opportunities for work-based learning and recognised achievements through AQA Unit Awards, helping people develop practical skills they can take forward into education, employment and everyday life.

Why We're Asking for Help

Unfortunately, since moving onto our land, we have faced ongoing antisocial behaviour, which has brought some unexpected challenges for us.

We have had people repeatedly entering areas that are not open to the public, walking dogs through our pony grazing areas, damaging fencing and barriers, and riding bikes, electric bikes and scooters through the fields.

Some of the incidents have been much more serious. Our pony Monty has had beer poured over him, and a cigarette was put out on him. In a separate incident, a group of young people entered the field on bikes, chased our ponies and threw coats and other items at Monty.

This isn't what we expected when we took on the land. Our ponies live here, and they should be able to graze and spend time in their field without being disturbed.

We have already put measures in place to manage access to our land, but we need to do more. We want to install CCTV and put up additional fencing to create separate grazing areas away from public access.

Our ponies are at the heart of The Wild Mane Project. We have a responsibility to look after their welfare, and we want to make sure they have somewhere they can graze and rest without people entering their space.

Developing Therapeutic and Wellbeing Riding

Alongside improving security, we are also working towards introducing therapeutic and wellbeing riding sessions.

We already support children, young people and adults with a wide range of needs through our ground-based programmes, and we want to be able to offer riding as another way for people to take part.

For some participants, particularly those with SEMH needs, anxiety, trauma or difficulties with communication, being supported on a pony may help them develop confidence, trust, independence and emotional regulation.

For others, including disabled children and adults, riding may also help with balance, coordination, posture and body awareness.

We want to be able to adapt these sessions to the individual, rather than expecting everyone to take part in the same way.

To do this, we need suitable equipment, including accessible mounting equipment and specialist riding equipment for participants who may need additional physical support. We want to make sure we have the right equipment available to support different abilities and needs.

Helping More People Access Our Programmes

Another area we would like to raise money for is funded places on our programmes.

We know there are children, young people and adults who could benefit from the support we offer but cannot access the funding they need.

This might be a child who is struggling to attend school, a young person who needs support to develop skills and confidence, or an adult who has become isolated and needs opportunities to get involved again.

Unfortunately, funding isn't always available, and not every family or individual can afford to pay privately.

We would like to be able to offer places to people who need our support without finances becoming another barrier.

What Your Support Means to Us

As a small not-for-profit organisation, the money we bring in goes back into running The Wild Mane Project and caring for our ponies.

We've put a lot of time, work and our own resources into getting The Wild Mane Project established. There is still so much we want to do, but we also need to make sure we can continue what we've already started.

I don't want the antisocial behaviour we have experienced to take away from what we are trying to build. We have a beautiful natural environment, wonderful ponies and opportunities to make a difference to the people who come to us.

But we cannot do everything on our own, and this is where we really need your help.

Whether you can make a donation, however small, share our fundraiser or help us reach local businesses who may be willing to support us, it would mean a great deal.

Every donation will go towards protecting our ponies, improving our facilities and helping more people access our programmes.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for supporting The Wild Mane Project.

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Built by people, supported by ponies, grounded in nature.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th December 2026 at 11:28pm