About us

We believe that every horse, pony, donkey and mule has the right to a happy and healthy life, free of fear and neglect. We rescue abandoned, mistreated and neglected horses and donkeys from across the UK, giving them a safe place to live and providing essential veterinary treatment, rehabilitation and lifelong care.  We are the UK’s largest horse sanctuary, responsible for over 2,000 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules, and funded solely by donations from kind supporters.

We strive to provide and promote the care and protection of all horses and donkeys by offering a place of safety to those in need, rehoming those with the potential for a fulfilling life outside the Sanctuary, and educating owners and future generations about the value of horse welfare.

Rescue: 
Welfare is at the heart of everything we do – a commitment that has seen Redwings involved in several large scale rescues during our 30-year history. Find out more.

Sanctuary
We care for over 1,500 horses, ponies, donkeys and mules every single day at our sanctuary sites around the UK. Find out more.

Behaviour
We use specialised training methods based on the scientific principles of how horses learn to train them in the most humane and ethical way possible. Find out more.

Rehoming
Those horses who are fully healthy and who have been successfully rehabilitated are found loving homes through the Redwings Rehoming Scheme. Find out more.

Work for Redwings!

Working for a horse welfare charity can be challenging and at times upsetting, but seeing on a daily basis the profound difference that we can make to the lives of horses ponies, donkeys and mules means it is also incredibly rewarding. We have a variety of roles at Redwings, all of which are integral to our mission to provide and promote the care and protection of horses and donkeys.  Our employment benefits include a stakeholder pension scheme, fair and equal rates of pay, 30 days holiday per year...and the chance to make a difference. 

Work Experience and Apprenticeships

We work with schools, colleges and training providers to support work experience placements and apprenticeships. Our placements are available to those aged 16 and over who are studying on an equine or animal-related course, and looking for a placement as part of their college or university’s approved scheme. For under 16s we can offer work experience at our head office. Contact our HR team for more information.

Volunteer for us!

One fantastic way you can help us is to give up some of your precious time to our Sanctuary and in turn help the horses in our care. Volunteering is a great way to get involved and our volunteers tell us it’s incredibly rewarding! Please be aware our volunteering roles are not hands on with the horses, but all posts directly impact on the care of all our residents and help us give them the best possible home here.  

We have various roles for you to get involved in and whether it’s gardening, maintenance, helping at events to administration, customer relations or even an extra pair of hands in our busy visitor centres, you will have the satisfaction that you are continually helping our very special rescued residents.

We ask for all our volunteers to be over 18, however, we do offer work experience for those under this age. Please email our HR team for more information about work experience for people ages 16 and over: WExperience@redwings.co.uk

A huge part of any volunteering role will include educating the public on what we do and we do expect any member of the team to act in a professional capacity, only giving accurate and non-speculative information, and always asking for help if they need it!

You can take a look at the current roles that we are seeking to fill on our website.

How volunteering benefits you

Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded people and make new friends. It is known to contribute towards building confidence and self-esteem. There is always an opportunity to learn so your personal development and training can grow, especially if you’re looking to gain your experience for future employment.

And above all you would be a valued member of our Redwings team!

Why choose Redwings?

We understand it is important for people to be involved and help in causes that are close to their hearts. By volunteering your precious time you can help us as a Charity to gain from your expertise and skills, which will in turn help our staff, our visitors, local communities and also other volunteers.

Redwings will encourage any volunteer to be involved in many different ways, and we will be supportive and provide all the necessary training for the role to help develop your knowledge and really make the most of your time.

However if you decide volunteering is not for you, there are loads of other ways you can help us.

Find out more

For more information about the work we do and the opportunities it might present, be sure to follow us here on icanbea... for the latest news and use the links provided to our website.