Banburyshire horse sanctuary 'in consultation' over closure amid financial crisis

The centre, at Oxhill, tends horses have have been abandoned or neglected. Its costs have become unmanageable and the charity is consulting over possible closure of this sanctuary and Redwings Mountains in Angus, Scotland.

Redwings says it has been eating into its reserves but can not continue funding the centres in that way. Some 100 horses and donkeys would be transferred to Norfolk centres if closure goes ahead.

A post on the Oxhill centre’s Facebook page says: “You have been and continue to be incredibly generous, but with rising costs beyond our control, it is essential that we do everything we can to ensure we are using your donations most effectively and are investing in activities which will have the greatest impact for the horses in our care and the welfare of those beyond our paddock fences.

“We are now in our fourth year of needing to spend some of our financial reserves to balance the budget and continue to provide excellent care for our horses, but it is simply not sustainable to do so any longer.

"We need to immediately reduce our operating costs and these centres have been selected as they are unfortunately the most expensive for us to run.”

Redwings says both centres will be closed to visitors while the consultation takes place out of respect for the 39 staff who could potentially be affected by the proposals.

"While we know this will cause disappointment, we thank you for your understanding at this difficult time. If you (sponsor) a horse at one of these centres – thank you – you will be receiving a letter very soon with an update and more details but for now, any support you can give would be very much appreciated as we navigate the coming days.”

The Facebook post says these are proposals, the consultation will take at least a month and Redwings will be considering every option during that time.

"Our priority as always is the horses and our staff, and so while we will try and answer your questions as best we can, there’s a lot we just don’t know at this stage,” they said.

Redwings Oxhill has been operating as a visitor centre for almost twenty years. It was previously home to a riding school.

Redwings is one of the largest equine welfare charities in the UK with more than 1000 rescued horses, ponies and donkeys in its sanctuary care and over 700 more living out in Guardian homes.

The charity began in Norfolk, where it has its head office, several large sanctuary sites and two visitor centres, with another near Harlow in Essex.

Charity Chief Executive Lynn Cutress said: “Rest assured we have not made these proposals lightly, this is an incredibly sad and painful time for us and not something I ever wanted to see during my time at Redwings, but it is essential that we explore every avenue to ensure we can safeguard the wellbeing and future of the 1000+ horses in our care.”

Updates will be carried on the Redwings website.