Cecil's Horse Sanctuary

Thistle is one of the five miniature Shetlands rescued in the middle of May. She is slowly learning to trust people again. She particularly likes eating the ripe blackberries that grow along the edge of her field!

Shakira, along with a small herd of Shetlands, came to the sanctuary because they kept losing their foals and the owner did not know why. He wanted them in a safe place where they would be cared for. When they arrived it was found that one of the Shetlands had a whole shot in her face and it was suspected that the mares may have been used as targets and therefore causing them to lose their foals.

Remy came to the sanctuary an hour before he was going to be destroyed. Remy was a stallion at the time and had been kept shut up in a stable and had become obese. Remy is registered with the British Miniature Horse Society as a ‘Strawberry Roan Few Spot’.

Mouse is one of the five miniature Shetlands rescued in the middle of May. Her registered name is Sugar Mouse and she is the daughter of Fern. When she first arrived Mouse was very nervous and it was not possible to catch her. After a lot of patience, Mouse started coming up to say hello and then quickly learned to enjoy being groomed and made a fuss of. She has a locking stifle joint - which sometimes means that she looks like she is having trouble walking. Mouse is checked regularly by the vet

Pimp came to the sanctuary ten years ago after being rescued with a small herd of foals. He went out on loan and recently returned to the sanctuary. Pimp is only small but believes he is the size of a Shire!

Percy is a skewbald miniature Shetland pony. Percy was found by Julie when she went to look at another horse. A tiny, frightened foal shut up in a small stable, unwanted by his owners. Julie immediately bought and rescued him, bringing him back to the sanctuary. Percy was a tiny, skinny little foal but has grown into a beautiful happy pony.

Evie is a chestnut, miniature Shetland pony. She was born in 2014. She is one of Julie’s own ponies. Her mum was Ceri (RIP) and her dad is Percy. Evie is a feisty pony who likes to test the boundaries. She is very fast on the agility course and loves racing around

Hector is a chestnut, miniature Shetland pony. He was born in 2015. He is one of Julie’s own ponies. His mum was Ceri (RIP)and his dad is Percy. Hector is much calmer than his ‘big’ sister Evie and is also a little bigger! He is good friends with Pimp and they spend a lot of time playing together. Hector enjoys featuring at fetes and country shows

Honey (in her mid 20’s) along with and Fudge (about 16) came to us in September 2021 after having been rescued, by a very kind lady, from the side of a road after having been abandoned. They are both living the high life at our site in Chalfont and up to all sorts of mischief with their friends and Honey bossing them around, much to the annoyance of Pimp.

Fudge (about 16) together with Honey (in her mid 20’s) came to us in September 2021 after having been rescued, by a very kind lady, from the side of a road after having been abandoned. They are both living the high life at our site in Chalfont and up to all sorts of mischief with their friends and Honey bossing them around, much to the annoyance of Pimp.

Gee is a chestnut pony. He was born in 1997. Gee is one of Julie’s ponies. He was the perfect riding pony and is now retired. He likes looking after foals, has his own night paddock and shelter and is known for tricking the volunteers into thinking he hasn't been fed

Noodles has lived with Julie for most of his life. He was born blind and the stud did not want to keep him. Noodles has coped very well with his blindness. He used to be ridden, although is now retired. He loves going out in the field every day with his friend Swayze. Noodles loves bananas!

Swayze is a grey Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived at the Sanctuary in 2015 as a very poorly young foal, taken too early from his mother. Swayze was so weak that we were lifting him three times a day until his strength returned. He soon paired up with Noodles, our blind pony and became his friend and his eyes. He helps guide Noodles and warns him of any dangers. Swayze has a hole in his heart and needs careful monitoring. He also has cataracts in both eyes with are inoperable

Little Joe was found dumped in one of our fields. We never found out where he came from or why he was dumped. Although he is only small, he has a very big character! Little Joe has been gelded.

Tweenie is a roan/chestnut, miniature Shetland pony. She was born on the 1st May 2004. Tweenie came via a lady who rescued her from a horrendous home where she was burnt and terrorised. Unfortunately due to her laminitis her rescuer had to rehome her, to us. She has to have a restricted diet with special feed.

Jimmy is a chestnut pony. He was born in 2004. He came to the sanctuary with his mum Nutmeg (RIP). They were both unwanted. Jimmy suffers from laminitis and EMS. He has to have a restricted diet with special feed.

Moli came to the sanctuary as a foal (2020) when his owner was not able to cope with his medical needs. He was unfortunately born blind in one eye and partially sighted in his other eye. He also has a hole in his heart. Moli was terrified when he first arrived, spending most of his time cowering in the back of the stable. Now he is a confident, boisterous pony who loves life & playing with his friends

Lilly Dee came to the sanctuary in October 2020 when her owner was no longer able to care for her. She was very nervous at first but is much friendlier now. Her nickname is ‘Princess Lilly’ as she is very demanding – particularly when it is breakfast/dinner time. The neighbours certainly know what time we are feeding. She possibly has the loudest bray ever! Lilly Dee is a very good friend with Noodles (one of our blind ponies)

Faith is a strawberry roan, miniature Shetland pony. She was born in 2016. She is one of Julie’s own ponies. Her mum is Tweenie and her dad is Remy, not forgetting her son, Button. Faith is only small but she is very clever. She is the sanctuary’s little escape artist. No fence is too difficult for her to get through!

Peaches is a skewbald pony. She was born on 24th May 2005. Peaches’ mum (Apple) was rescued along with Marco and was in foal. A few months later, Peaches was born. Peaches is a very friendly pony who loves to be groomed. She also loves to ‘help’ with whatever you are doing. She has even climbed into the storage shed before! Unfortunately, Peaches developed cataracts in around 2021 and is now blind but has managed exceptionally well with Pumpkin guiding her (or some would say, leading her astra

Strawberry is a strawberry roan pony and we think she is around 18 years old. She came to the sanctuary when her owner, a breeder, discovered she was unable to have foals. He wanted her to go somewhere safe where she would be cared for and loved. Strawberry is a very sweet pony but very much a princess, quite vain and aware of her beauty! In 2015, someone put a stallion in one of our fields and in 2016 Strawberry had a beautiful foal – Leiland.

Pumpkin is a skewbald pony. She was born on 22nd April 2015. She is one of Julie’s own ponies. She is the daughter of Peaches. Pumpkin is a very cheeky pony. She is nosey and loves to help with whatever you are doing. Her favourite trick is knocking over the wheelbarrow and pawing out all of the muck!

Brambles got his name as he was found in a patch of brambles. He was in very poor condition and was riddled with red worm. It took months to bring him back to full health. Brambles is a very gentle, loving pony and enjoys being groomed.

Derek is a chestnut miniature Shetland pony, born in 2015. He arrived at the Sanctuary in September 2015. He was a young foal who had been taken from his mother too soon. He arrived with the Welsh ponies and the group were all destined for market. Derek has a huge personality and enjoys annoying everyone, then disappearing when he is told off! He considers himself Brambles Henchman

Dinozo is a black Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived with a large group of foals, all destined for market. Sadly, he had also been taken from his mother too soon. Dinozo has the most unusual and beautiful blue eyes. He is a nervous pony but, with time and patience, is learning to accept human contact

McGee is a chestnut Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived as a young foal in 2015. He has locking stifle joints, which make him appear unsteady. He is also fed extra every day as he struggles to keep weight on. When Hansel ditched him as bestie, McGee found happiness with the "foals" Mischief, Pippin, Billy and Taro

Hansel is a chestnut Welsh pony who was born in April 2018. He came to the sanctuary in September when his owner lost all her land. He was very wild and frightened to begin with but has quickly developed into a friendly little pony and now has lots of attitude.

No-Name is a bay Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived at the Sanctuary in September 2015 as a young foal who had been taken from his mother too soon. He was with the group of ponies all destined for market. He is friends with Pancho and loves to follow him around. No-Name’s favourite game is carrying a bucket around in his mouth.

Pancho is a piebald cob and we think he could have been born in 2014. He came to us in the spring of 2015 as he was constantly loose on the Hitchin Bypass and we were called to collect him. When we went to get him, he was locked away in a dark shed. It has taken Pancho a very long time to get over his experiences and we are still working on his trust issues. His bestie and always attached is No-Name

Profit is a black Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived at the Sanctuary in December 2015. He was a young foal who had been taken from his mother too soon. He arrived with a group of other Welsh ponies who were all destined for market. He has rather unusual teeth that give him a wonderful smile and means that his tongue is often sticking out slightly after he drinks

Darcy is a chestnut pony born in 2014. He arrived at the Sanctuary in December 2015 as a yearling. He was unwanted by his breeder and was destined for the market. He is now a very happy pony who loves to try and get into the corral whenever he can! Although very nervous when he arrived, Darcy has leant to wear a headcollar and a rug

Ralph is a bay miniature Shetland pony who was born in 2015. He also arrived at the Sanctuary as a young foal, along with Charlie (RIP). Ralph is a very cheeky pony with cute fluffy white hair in his ears. He is still learning to trust people but is getting friendlier every day. Ralph is expert at rummaging around for any dropped nuts after dinner. He is also bit of a loner.

Pippin is a Welsh Pony who came to the sanctuary when his owner lost her land. He was born in June 2019. Pippin was very nervous to start with but has learnt that humans are very useful – providing food and cuddles. He always comes up to say hello when people arrive at the yard. He has learnt to wear a headcollar. Pippin is good friends with Mischief.

Mischief is a Welsh Pony born in June 2020. He was unwanted and came to the sanctuary to live. Mischief has some medical issues – a hole in the heart and an undershot jaw. At the moment, these do not seem to be affecting him and he is a happy, playful and cheeky pony. He loves coming to meet people as they arrive at the yard and is very cute.

Billy came to the sanctuary as he was an unwanted foal born in June 2019. His mother had got pregnant when a stallion got into the field. Billy is quite a character. He loves to run around with things in his mouth – buckets and headcollars being the favourite. He was very nervous to start with but suddenly realised that humans were useful for scratching his neck and for feeding him!

John is a grey Welsh pony born in 2015. He arrived at the Sanctuary in September 2015 as a young foal - removed from his mother too soon. John was with a group of Welsh ponies destined for market. He is still working on trust issues and refuses to let us trim his very tangled tail! He likes to lick your hand but has been known to have a sneaky nip!

Foxy is a grey Welsh pony, born in 2015. He arrived with a group of ponies all headed for market. Foxy is still learning to trust people and recently had a major set-back when he was sprayed with an unknown substance through our fence here at Elstree. Although he snorts as he approaches you, when he gets to know you, he loves having his ears scratched.

Patrick is a grey Welsh pony born in 2015. He was a young foal, taken from his mother too soon and destined for the market. Patrick is very friendly and loves being petted. Although very handsome, Patrick struggles to grow his rather wispy forelock! Patrick is friends with Profit. He also loves to have his tongue tickled

Sugar came to the sanctuary initially to be broken in and rehomed. However, it was soon discovered that there was something seriously wrong with her. She had a double set of teeth and was finding it difficult to eat as her mouth was in such a bad state. It was also discovered that she was in foal. Sadly, she lost the foal. Sugar was ill for a long time but is now fully recovered and enjoys grazing alongside her friend Cashew.

Bambi is a bay, Dartmoor mare. She was born on the 1st April 2005. She was rescued from neglect. At some point in her life, Bambi had torn her lower lip. This has left her with a droopy lip and means that she dribbles a lot! She is a sweet pony with some trust issues from previous bad experiences. However, she continues to get friendlier every year.

Teddy is a bay pony. He was born in 2015. He is one of Julie’s ponies. His mum is Bambi. He is a very sweet, well-behaved pony.

Tintin is a Piebald pony and we think he was born in 2016. He and another pony were rescued by the council. A kindly lady was able to keep and care for only one, so we took Tintin in at the Sanctuary. Tintin had spent a large portion of his life shut up in a dark, metal shipping container. He is now enjoying his freedom in the fields, but still likes to come in at night. He is a handsome big lump and very friendly!

Iver is a grey pony who was born in 2017. He came to the sanctuary in November 2018 after being found abandoned and starving on a local common. He had a terrible cough when he arrived and was very underweight. He had to learn how to eat hay and pony nuts as he had never seen them before. He is a very sweet pony and trusting pony, despite his poor start in life.

Leiland is a bay pony. He was born in 2016. He is the son of Strawberry, who became pregnant when a stallion was let loose in her field. Leiland is a very friendly pony who loves people and his bestie is Polo - double trouble!

Polo is a Piebald pony born in 2016. Polo was born at the Sanctuary after a stallion was put into the field with some of our mares. His mum is Peaches and his grandad is Marco. As a young foal he was very spoilt by the mares in the herd and now he can be quite pushy. We've been trying to teach him some manners but failing! He has no respect for electric fencing and is rather a naughty boy but very loving

Tom is a grey/roan, Welsh pony. He was born in 2014. He came to the sanctuary in September 2015 after being neglected. He was very thin when he arrived and had trouble eating as he had an issue with his neck and found it difficult to put his head down to eat. We spent a lot of time holding the bucket up in a comfortable position for him. He has grown into a boisterous pony who is still learning to respect boundaries.

Dottie came to us in August 2017 when her owner was no longer able to keep her. She sadly went completely blind in 2021. Whilst Dottie has come a long way in terms of her physical health, she still has some trust issues that we are working on. She can appear friendly but does has a tendency to bite.

Elsie came to us when she was six years old. She had been retired due to a back issue that meant that she could never be ridden again. She is a sweet pony who can be a little feisty when she doesn’t want to do something!