Busiest Summer Ever
The sanctuary is open to visitors between 2pm and 4pm every day of the week, and is putting on demonstrations between 2:15pm and 3pm every Wednesday and weekend during the summer holidays.
On Wednesday, visitors watched Chinnor-based farrier Jonathan Smith changing the shoes of Leonidas, an ex-Household Cavalry drum horse living at the sanctuary. Each of the 100 horses living at the sanctuary needs to be treated by the farrier every six or seven weeks.
The demonstration was watched by a group of visitors. Each of the children were offered an old horseshoe to take home as a memento of their visit. Local girl Chloe Abbott, 10, said she enjoyed the demonstration and was delighted to have the free horseshoe, which she was planning to put in her bedroom.
"This is my fifth time [visiting The Horse Trust]," said Chloe. "I like seeing all the horses and why they're here. Today I've learnt that when they take the hoof off they have to clean the horse's feet."
Despite the poor summer weather, visitors have been flocking to The Horse Trust. Susan Lewis, The Horse Trust’s Marketing Manager, said she suspected the credit crunch was a contributing factor - The Horse Trust doesn't charge for admission, so is a great option for families on a budget.
"We are delighted that so many people are visiting us. If you haven't been to visit us yet, why not come along one day next week? Entrance to the sanctuary is free, although we welcome a donation to help us with our running costs," said Susan.
The sanctuary is also delighted that it has been able to raise £1,200 from selling ice creams. This is the first year that it has sold ice creams, which are from Beechdean Dairies, based in North Dean, Buckinghamshire.
"It costs us £17 a day to look after each horse at the sanctuary, so any money we can raise from ice cream sales makes a big difference," said Susan. "It's great to be able to support a local business and the ice creams are really delicious!"
The Horse Trust will be running a rug sale on 26 September to raise vital funds for the charity.
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