Note: We are in the process of updating this page. |
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St Mary's Horse Refuge is a local charity, based in Rochford, that provides living space, food, care and attention to relieve the suffering of horses and ponies, some of whom may have been kept in poor conditions, are lonely, not ridden, are neglected, ill-treated, mal-nourished, in need of medical care and need a new home and new owners. Some of the horses are not suitable for re-homing, and to help with the care of them, we do have a sponsorship programme.
Please contact us for further details: |
ST. MARY'S HORSE REFUGE
35 Central Avenue, Ashingdon, Rochford, Essex SS4 3BQ
Digby Saunders, Founder & Chairman.
Glen Dryhurst, Website Administrator
01702 547341
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482 Sutton Road,
Southend-on-Sea,
Essex
Tel: 01702 460865 |
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486 Sutton Road,
Southend-on-Sea,
Essex
Tel: 01702 460760 |
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7 North Street,
Rochford,
Essex
Tel: 01702 543583 |
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43 North Street,
Rochford,
Essex
Tel: 01702 541133 |
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86 High Street,
Great Wakering,
Essex
Tel: 01702 216588 |
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The St. Mary's Charity Shops are run entirely by volunteers -
No-one receives a wage and every penny goes to the upkeep of the horses. |
Would you like to help us out for a few hours each week? The shops are kept running as smoothly as possible by voluntary work, and we are always grateful for a little extra help. |
Barbaroosa has a short or nick name of "Roosa".
He is 15.3 hands high. He is a chestnut gelding with a white star. He is 15 years old and was sired by an amazing Hannovarian called "Gotz". His dam was our dear old "Shannagh" who, sadly, is no longer with us. He used to have a few behaviour problems and he was quite bolshy and boisterous and he is the boss of the field. He has recently shown dramatic improvement in his behaviour with the help of a horse behaviourist who also got him back under saddle and he has come along well. He is now a good and well behaved boy. Thanks for this must go to Amy who looks after him very well. He is sometimes hard to catch and he would kick out when he is upset or is let back out in the field, but some of this seems to have stopped now. Barbaroosa is loaned and ridden by Amy. |
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Crystal has the show name of "Fairline Criss-cross", and is around 13.1 hands high. She is around 30 years old.
She is a bay mare with a white stripe on her face with the No. 1BD5.
Crystal is the best friend of Heaven and is the more dominant of the two. Unfortunately, she suffers from a touch of arthiritis in a hind leg but it doesn't seem to bother her too much at the moment. Crystal is loaned by Rosie. |
Heaven is 12.0 hands high. She is a beautiful light brown chestnut mare with the No. 1BD6. She is a 30 year-old lady, and is one of our oldest horses.
She has C.O.P.D., Cushings and she is prone to Laminitis.
Heaven appeared at our summer show with her helper Shauna. They entered in the fancy dress class. Both looking very bright and very silly - what was that all about ?
She is a good friend of Crystal.
Heaven can no longer be ridden and is retired now. Heaven is no longer loaned by Lauren, Kirsty's twin sister (who loans Jake). |
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Jake has a show name of "Midnight Rebel"., and stands 14.2 hands high.
He is believed to be a Welsh Section D Cob, a black gelding with a white blaze on his face and a single white sock on his left hind leg.
We think he is a Welsh section D or a shire fell cross, because he is very heavy boned with lots of feather. He is 21 years old and has been with us for 17 years.
We rescued Jake from the back of a lorry as an unwanted 2 year old. He was on the way to slaughterers! Since we have had him, he has bought many laughs and many mishaps.
He came 5th in the Fancy Dress category, ridden and prepared by Kirsty Ainsley for the Christmas Cracker equestrian event at Shoplands Hall in late 2008. Being the size he is, we tried to brake him in for driving, but he was too unpredictable and too strong.
Jake is good to ride, although, he can be a lazy git sometimes. Or, if he sees somebody with a carrier bag, a bucket, a pram, or you name it, he will go and have a look! |
Jake has been known to wander up peoples' driveways to have a nose around! He has a fantastic jump and he has been known to jump fences and gates as big as he is from a standstill... This has caused us lots of problems, because, if we need to rotate fields, he will somehow manage to get out. So, now he has to stay at our main field which is secure enough to keep him in, although, he still wanders from paddock to paddock as he pleases, leaving behind broken fences and gates! We think he is too intelligent for his own good sometimes. He can undo ropes and he cuts string with his teeth. He can open gate latches and catches, he pushes fences down, he brakes posts, he will run through, he rolls under or jumps electric fencing. He causes more mischief than all the others put together! You cant leave coats or bikes anywhere near him, he will demolish them. He can take his own rugs off. He will let other horses out of their fields and stables; and, he also likes to vandalise cars. He sees everything as a personal challenge to overcome!! |
Jake suffers C.O.P.D. along with some of our other rescues and he has to be kept off the hay. Unlike most of our other rescues, he loves his teeth being filed by the equine dentist and he will keep strangers out of the field. So, he is like our very own guard horse!!!
Although he is a lot of trouble and very hard work, sometimes, the place would not be the same without him! He is a very important resident and is loaned by Marian and her twin daughters Kirsty and Lauren who ride him several times per week. |
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Kezzie is a Palomino Brood Mare.
She came to us recently broken. However, she was just too much for her young rider.
She has had leg problems and laminitis and may have arthritis.
She is now retired with her best friend Muzzy. She is a lovely natured animal who loves attention which includes a good all over massage.
Kezzie can no longer be ridden and is retired now.
She does not have anyone to loan her, but Lauren, looks after her. |
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Louis is another horse kept at Saint Mary's in our second field near Clements Hall. Louis belongs to another of our helpers. He is still quite young and is being trained, so he is not ridden yet. |
Magic was a Saint Mary's Refuge horse who left us but recently returned to us in September 2008.
He is about 15 hands high.
Magic is a bay stallion, light brown with two white socks on both of his right legs.
He is well behaved and he has sired some of our horses. He is the father of our Bess, Prince and Zebedee.
He is one of our oldest horses - an elderly gentleman probably over 30 years of age and is now retired and has returned to spend his time with his good friends and his offspring.
Magic may be ridden occasionally, but for not much longer. |
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Mercy is a resident horse at Saint Mary's Horse Refuge, but she belongs to Caz - Caroline Davill, one of our long term volunteer helpers and a trustee on the Board of our charity. Caz pays for Mercy's feed, medicaments and vet bills as well as helping out with the other horses in Saint Mary's Horse Refuge. Mercy stays in our second field near Clements Hall.
Mercy is a Comtois, a French breed of heavy or draft horse, originally bred and used in the Franche Comté near Vosges and in the Jura near Switzerland. They are used today in the Massif Central for logging and in vinyards in France.
Although she is already one of the largest horses at Saint Mary's, she really is just a baby, a little over 2 years old and she is still growing. |
Mercy was rescued from a fattening farm in France in the Vosges - Department 88, in the eastern part of France called Lorraine near Alsace. Also in Vosges is the home of Saint Joan of Arc. Caz became aware of the plight of Mercy via a website in France and agreed with the farmer to pay the "meat" price of £660 for Mercy, the same price that she would have been sold for if she had gone to slaughter.
Caz also arranged through a very helpful and sympathetic British road transport company to ship her to England. They charged only the bare cost of £500 for transport. They are aware of what happens to horses raised for food - meat on The Continent and they go out of their way to provide low costs only transport for bringing horses to new British and Irish owners when they have empty return journeys or space left with part loads. |
Mercy arrived totally unhandled as an 18 months old foal. She had a swollen and sore eye, so the vet checked her over and after a few weeks of treatment, found that the eye's lens had detached, possibly because of a blow to her head during her upbringing. Regretably, her eye had to be removed and so now she has an empty eye socket, but she does not seem to be affected by it and the vet has confirmed that having an eye removed will not affect her in any way. |
Mercy is a dream to handle considering where she came from and what she has been through. She is coping well already and Caz has just started to long-line her, but they are taking it slowly because, in spite of her size, she is still only a baby and Caz wants Mercy to enjoy her freedom that she gained since she came here. Mercy's best friend is Louis, another horse kept at Saint Mary's but belonging to another of our helpers.
Mercy is a very placid, gentle and adorable horse. Caz is looking forward to eventually riding and driving her when she is old enough. She is still too young, now only 2 and not fully grown and formed. Caz will start breaking her in when she is about 3, when her spine has started to fuse, then turn her away for 1 more year to finish growing up, by which time she will be quite a giant and ready for riding and for driving carriages. |
The website in France which is dedicated to finding new owners to rescue horses destined to become meat is : www.equinesection.com
Caz - Caroline Davill is willing to advise and help anyone interested in buying, rescuing and saving a horse from the slaughterhouse and she will help with details on bringing a horse from The Continent to the British Isles. You can contact Caz on her email : cazdavill at hotmail.co.uk |
Muzzie has a full name of "Muzzero". He is a grey gelding, almost white - when clean. He is well behaved.
He is one of our oldest horses - a very elderly gentleman of well over 30 years of age and is now retired and spends his time with his best friend Kezzie.
Muzzie can no longer be ridden and is retired now.
Muzzie is Lorna's horse. |
Pickle came 1st in the Handy Pony category, ridden and prepared by Lauren Ainsley for the Christmas Cracker equestrian event at Shoplands Hall in late 2008 |
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Prince has a full name of "Fairline Prince Regent". He is 15.1 Hands high.
He is a Welsh Section D Cross bay gelding with no white markings.
His age is 14 years old.
His father was "Magic" a Welsh Section D horse.
He has a delightful bay colour and he came to us about 8 years ago with Bess. He is a good friend of Barbaroosa and Zebedee. He loves to eat and he has a habit of biting.
Prince is reasonably fit and is normally capable of being ridden, but is ridden less often now because of some minor health problems. Prince is loaned and ridden by Lauren, Danielle's sister. Danielle also helps look after Prince and so did Candice when not busy with Rhia, Mercy and Louis. |
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Rhia has a full name of "Rhianna".
She is 14.0 Hands high, and is a Welsh Section C chestnut mare.
She has a white stripe on her face. Rhia came to us with a leg problem and laminitis. Her leg is fine now, but she is still prone to laminitis even on Founderguard. She can be very dominant at times and she is very impatient about everything. Rhia is kept at our other fields about a half a mile away near the Clements Hall Sports Centre. She came 5th in the Tack and Turnout category, ridden and prepared by Candice Daisley for the Christmas Cracker equestrian event at Shoplands Hall in late 2008. |
Rhia is loaned by Caz - Caroline Davill who also owns Mercy. Candice also helps to care for Rhia. |
Splash has a show name of "Fairline Tropical Paradise".
She is 11.2 Hands high.
She is a Welsh Section A bay roan mare.
She has a white face and she has blue eyes which is very uncommon for a horse.
Splash is a sweet little horse, but sometimes she bites.
She has C.O.P.D. and she is very prone to Laminitis even on founderguard.
Splash is ridden quite often, but mostly stays in the paddock and eats hay instead of grazing in the meadows.
Splash is loaned and ridden by Rosie, who also loans Crystal. |
Zebedee is 13.2 Hands high.
He is a Welsh Section D Cross bay gelding.
He has a white blaze on his face and white socks on his legs.
His age is 16 years old.
Zebedee came to us as a driving pony which could not be ridden and he threw people off quite regularly. Today, he is well behaved except that he will escape through insecure fencing. He likes to lick. He goes to shows and does very well in them. He is a good friend of Prince. Zebedee was one of the two horses ridden to the official opening of our first charity shop opened by Councillor Peter Webster, Chairman of Rochford District Council on 18th February 2006. Zebedee is still ridden quite often.
Zebedee is loaned by Catherine, but is loved and also cared for by Danielle. |
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We have some frequent visitors to Saint Mary's and one of those is Cameo who belongs to Carolyn Blankfield. |
Cameo has a show name of "Sylton Silver Lad". Because the Saint Mary's Refuge horses are mostly elderly and infirm, their beautiful friend and frequent visitor - Cameo, a Welsh Section D Cob, 15.2 hands palamino gelding sometimes visits to enable people to ride - as he did at the last Saint Mary's Summer Show.
Cameo behaved impeccably while taking children as young as 4 years age, novices and adults on pony rides around the Refuge's fields. This was a popular attraction and over £25 was raised by him for the charity.
Carolyn's daughter Vanessa is one of our helpers and she often rides Cameo.
Carolyn is also selling tack and in particular some excellent saddles to raise money for the treatment of another unfortunate horse which was badly injured by having its face almost kicked off by another horse.
Anyone who would like to buy a saddle and other tack or to contribute towards the vets bills and treatment can call Carolyn on : 01702 547185 or by text on 07855 535049. |
Our resident dog at Saint Mary's Refuge is Casper who is really Digby's own dog. He is always there with Digby and is a good natured dog who enjoys the company of the horses and of all the willing helpers caring for the horses. |
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