Horses Trust Buckinghamshire

Today we took the girls to the Horses Trust in Buckinghamshire. I’d seen it advertised on Instagram and thought the girls might like to see some horses living their best retired lives.

What is the Horses Trust?

The Horses Trust is a home of rest for retired horses. The charity has been going since 1886, and has moved sites over the years. Since 1971, it has been in Buckinghamshire on Speen Farm. The charity takes in retired service horses and mistreated pony’s, donkeys, and horses.

Review of the Horses Trust Buckinghamshire

To be honest, for £8 per car, I didn’t expect too much. But I was pleasantly surprised.

First off, the drive there and the surroundings is very scenic. You’ve got quaint villages and rolling hills for miles. On the driveway to the Horses Trust you see a few of their Donkey’s, then you’re greeted by the carpark attendant who checks you in.

The car park is close to where the horses are, which is great if you have young kids who don’t want to go in a pushchair but also don’t want to walk (my life). First we met Elizabeth, a 28 year old retired horse who used to be part of the royal family – well Princess Anne would ride her. She was a sweetie. Liked a nose rub. We met a few more along here, and two donkeys.

In the main square there were lots of stables with horses you can meet. The shetland Pony’s had shorter gates so kids can easily look over and see in.

Between 2 and 3 on Sunday’s you can put your name down to groom a pony for a donation. The suggested donation is £1 which feels very reasonable. We didn’t have cash, but let her know we donated on the website instead. She wasn’t standing there shaking a bucket though, I think it very much is if you can/want to donate.

We watched the pony, Bob, be groomed a few times and he was very content. Marfs (2, loud) was even fine doing it. She did go a little mute when she was in there with him which helped I think. The lady who was working with Bob and managing the grooming said she’d been there 15 years. You could tell she loved horses and her job.

It’s so peaceful there, a nice place to retire I imagine. I heard someone who works there say the horses have their feet done, the vet comes to see them, they get fed twice a day, and plenty of outside time. Sounds good to me!

While it was peaceful, no one seemed to curl their lip when Martha and Ida were running around and being kids. Which I appreciated. There’s nothing worse than going somewhere and having to constantly tell your kids not to be kids because we’re getting daggers.

The cafe is nice, too. Lots of cakes, coffees, and ice creams on offer. We sat outside but there is space inside – beware there’s also a gift shop here. The girls have never been too fussed on having something from a gift shop, but if your kid is, keep it in mind!

The toilets are very well kept. You might be on a farm but you won’t need wellies or portaloos. The toilets looked basically brand new.

There’s a little museum on site that tells you about some of the residents they’ve had since the trust was founded in 1886 as a place of rest for London’s cab horses. I enjoyed reading the plaques here about different horses – one who had been a police horse in The Hyde Park bombings. While he did live, he was too frightened to go back to work and instead rested at the Horses Trust.

There are some really sad cases here, too. It’s not just service horses and royals. A few of the animals here come from ‘the UKs worst case of animal cruelty’ in a farm in Amersham. Another two pony’s were left at the side of a busy road, another two found in a field without food or water. Thankfully, some of these pony’s and horses have gone on to live within charities like this one.

What time is the Horse Trust open?

It’s open Thursday – Sunday 1pm- 4pm

In school holidays they also open Wednesdays.

How much is the Horses Trust?

General Admission: £8 per car                                                       

Concessions : £5 per car (Blue Badge holders & OAPs 66+)        

Minibus : £12  (up to 18 people) 

On foot : £1 per person   

Is it accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs?

I saw plenty of pushchairs and one wheelchair on our visit.

Can I bring a dog?

They had poo bags and bins around the site. Dogs are welcome, but have to be on leads and comfortable with horses.