Mare and Foal Sanctuary: Ban for 'horse therapy centre' owners over starving and neglected Shetland ponies

Owners of a pony party and horse therapy service for veterans have been banned from keeping animals for life, after it emerged their herd of ponies were sick and neglected.

Cornwall pair Sarah Baker, 33, and James Baker, 55, were this week sentenced at Truro Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to six and five charges respectively of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal - relating to 14 horses and ponies, a donkey and a goat. Darren Laker, 46, also pleaded guilty to one offence relating to one horse.

The Bakers were both sentenced to nine months in prison for each charge, suspended for two years, which will all run concurrently, and the pair have been banned from owning all animals for life. Laker was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, also suspended for two years, and banned from owning horses or donkeys for 10 years.

The case was centred around a facility called Family Nest Therapy, owned by the Bakers, in the Cornish village of Par. According to a past crowdfunding campaign, the community interest company provided equine therapy to veterans, children, and people with mental health or physical disabilities. It was also known to host 'pony parties' and school visits, with its team of tiny Shetland ponies.

A Devon horse rescue called the Mare and Foal Sanctuary says it was first contacted by a concerned member of the public in 2021, who believed ponies at the facility were being badly neglected. After monitoring the situation over several months, the charity escalated the case to the RSPCA - which lead the prosecution.

The RSPCA said inspectors who visited the site found the ponies and other animals were emaciated with visible ribs. Some were tied up in 21C heat with no access to water, while others in dry fields had no shade or grass - with mouldy hay the only food available. Other ponies still were suffering from untreated injuries, as well as lameness and overgrown hooves.

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary provided more than 14 months of care and rehabilitation to the horses involved in the case, and is now providing a permanent, lifelong home to three of the neglected Shetland ponies. Senior Welfare Advisor Rebecca Sherrell said it was the worst case she had ever worked on.

"I’ve never seen horses that thin before. They were lacking food, water and shelter in 27 degree heat. It’s a case that has really stuck with me," she said. "Many of the equines were in a very poor state with conjunctivitis, lice, malnourishment, worm burden, overgrown hooves, heart conditions, alopecia, anaemia and chronic inflammation."

Their bones showed through their skin, and some were covered in paint brush marks from children’s parties, Ms Sherrell continued. "We also believe some were showing signs of severe depression. It was shocking to see, especially at a place which claimed to offer equine assisted therapy."

After more than a year recovering with the charity, the three Shetland, called Poppy, Sherbet and Lola, who will call the sanctuary home for the rest of their lives, were now thriving. The remaining nine have moved into the long-term specialist care of The Horse Trust, in the southeast of England.

Trust chief executive Jeanette Allen said they were pleased to be able to help the sanctuary out by providing forever homes to the rest of the herd. "The mini herd of Shetlands have captured everyone’s hearts here at our sanctuary," she said. "Overall, the ponies and horses are all doing really well. Sven and Olaf are two in particular getting additional expert support from our behavioural care team to continue to help rebuild their trust in people."

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary added that events like pony parties, and therapeutic Equine Assisted Services can be fun and helpful to many people, but they needed to make sure they were engaging with reputable organisations - which make the wellbeing and comfort of animals their top priority.

This kind of activity must be done responsibly by professionals who carefully monitor the session and allow animals to leave if they choose not to engage, the charity said. One good way to find services like this is to check if they are a member of an official body, like the Human Equine Interaction Register UK.