Horse Sanctuary
The role of the horse as a working animal has changed radically over the past 120 years. No longer do we see cab horses, delivery drays, working pit ponies or the great Shire horses bending to the plough.
But the welfare needs of former working horses can still be met through facilities provided by horse charities like the Horse Trust.
Residents at the Home of Rest for Horses (the Horse Trust's sanctuary at Westcroft Stables) are today drawn from the ranks of those serving their masters in different ways - the mounted police force, the mounted Army regiments, the Royal Mews, Riding for the Disabled, the Horse Rangers Association - and very occasionally a retired race horse, a polo pony or just a much loved family pet.
Their smaller relatives are also represented - Shetland ponies, donkeys and hinnies - and, of course, the occasional sad case of a neglected pony which requires urgent rehoming and very special care to restore it to health.
The 100 or so residents at the stables share 200 acres of pristine paddocks and loose boxes in the Chiltern Hills, receiving the loving attention they deserve throughout their final years. Once accepted into the sanctuary of the Horse Trust's Home of Rest for Horses, they will remain at the sanctuary for the rest of their days.