About Redwings.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary was founded in 1984 following the
rescue of a single, neglected mare called Sheba. By the summer
of 1985 the Sanctuary was home to around 100 equines and it
moved to its current location at Frettenham, near Norwich.
Today Redwings cares for over 1,000 horses, ponies and
donkeys located across four farms in the Norfolk countryside.
Sanctuary staff receive daily calls from supporters and other
members of the public concerning distressed equines. These
calls are passed on to the Welfare Department which relies on
the support of a nationwide network of over 100 trained
welfare officers. These are people with sound equine
knowledge who give their time voluntarily and can be called
upon to investigate such cases.
With the help and dedication of caring staff, Redwings copes
with the enormous task of looking after its residents and
rehabilitating new arrivals. The Sanctuary has its own
Veterinary Unit with two resident vets on call at all times in
case of emergencies. They are supported by a team of well
trained nurses and staff. All of the equines are regularly
wormed and attended by the farrier and dentist. A small
army of staff is required to work on a rota basis, out in all
weathers, feeding and caring for their charges.
Over the years, as the number of residents has grown, so has
the need for fund raising. It is the generosity of donations from
supporters which has enabled Redwings to continue its work
towards improving equine welfare throughout the country.
In 1985 we held our first open day which gave supporters the
chance to visit Redwings and see at first hand the work that
their donations supported. The day proved to be a great
success and the Sanctuary now receives some 35,000 visitors
every year.
In addition to rescuing as many equines as our resources will
allow, Redwings also spends a great deal of time and effort
in educating the public. Over the years our work in improving
equine welfare has shown that in the majority of cases neglect
is due to ignorance rather than deliberate cruelty.
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