Mane Chance Shetland Pony Sanctuary Opening
The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation was pleased to be able to contribute a grant towards a new home for rescued Shetland Ponies housed at the Mane Chance Sanctuary in Surrey.
The sanctuary was established by actress and animal welfare advocate Jenny Seagrove (left). Their mission is to rescue and rehabilitate abused, abandoned and old horses, integrating them with the local community. Their dream is that through the work they do with their horses for people in need, – primarily disadvantaged children – they will be able to prove the value of the horse as a healer. Their horses are all rescued animals who have suffered situations of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Now feeling safe, loved and cared for at the Sanctuary, they help to improve the lives of the visitors who also need a little support.
A couple of years ago Mane Chance felt that they were facing a losing battle with the weather and the lushness of the grazing for their smallest residents, the Shetland ponies, who are prone to obesity and laminitis. What they needed was an area that did not have the sweet Surrey grass variety for them to nibble, but a hardier less sugary variety much more akin to the Shetland Isles themselves. Shetlands love to forage and to roam and if they did show signs of laminitis, it would be ideal to have controlled low-sugar feeding in an area bare of all natural, sweet vegetation. Over the next couple of years the sanctuary raised the finances to fund the project, opened up part of their woodland for foraging opportunities and created their dream – an area designed for the ponies but also an area for visitors to be able to spend quality time with them in their natural environment.
In August of this year their Patron Michael Crawford CBE, officially opened the new area (above). The Shetland herd have moved in to their new home and can often be found foraging and exploring as well as enjoying spending time with visitors.
Pollyanna Pickering Foundation president Anna-Louise commented “The board of trustees were all extremely impressed with the wonderful concept of giving these ponies a new home, as well as working to help some of the most vulnerable children in our society. Because of this we were happy to provide a grant to cover the completion stages and to provide signage for the path area.” The Foundations logo can be seen on the sign on the gate alongside that of other contributors. .