Penny Farm Rescue & Rehoming Centre

You’ll find this centre on Preston New Road, Blackpool, where they rehabilitate and rehome neglected and abused horses. Penny Farm Rescue & Rehoming Centre is a great day out for the family. You can visit throughout the week and enjoy events in school holidays – it all supports the animals care.

Meet the Ponies at Penny Farm Rescue & Rehoming Centre

You’ll find Penny Farm on the A583 Preston New Road, near Peel Corner, Blackpool, FY4 5JS. 

Penny Farm is open to members of the public –

• 11am to 3pm every Wednesday and Bank Holiday Mondays
• 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday
• Admission is FREE but please book your place before visiting.

Meet the horses – there are usually at least 60 horses there at any one time. In the undercover barn area you can find out about ponies undergoing rehabilitation. You can also enjoy a guided tour from the volunteer teams – and find out all about the work of the rescue.

Enjoy a farm walk and take in the lovely surroundings at Penny Farm. Explore the farm with ‘Dale’s Trails’ – two routes around the farm and a fun activity trail. Along with the horses relaxing in the fields, you can learn about the farm environment. Plus all the wild birds and animals that also call it home.

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Cakes, Parties and Events

In the coffee shop you can enjoy a bite to eat and one of the famous homemade cakes! Along with drinks and snacks there’s also Afternoon Tea available – but pre-booking is required.

Events also take place throughout the year – including open days and Christmas celebrations. Check out the Visit Fylde Coast what’s on guide.

Penny Farm is also a great location to hold a birthday party – including a guided tour. Meet all the horses and ponies and have a chance to groom one too. Private hire is also available for your own functions.

For more information please contact Zoe Clifford. 
Ring 01253 766983, email zoeclifford@worldhorsewelfare.org or visit the website at www.worldhorsewelfare.org

Horses at Risk across the UK

The number of horses at risk of abandonment or neglect across England and Wales is always greater than the availability of rescue places. There are roughly 3000 spaces available inside charity rescue centres for horses and ponies at risk – but they’re frequently full.

Equine charities are caring for rising numbers of horses. Complaints regarding poor welfare are also rising. It’s the result of a perfect storm: the economic downturn, COVID and too many horses being bred. The bottom has fallen out of the horse market – horses at every level have dropped in value. At the very lowest end horses are being sold at auction for as little as £5. In many cases is leading to unscrupulous dealers taking advantage of the situation.

Around half of the total number of horses at risk are being fly-grazed – the damaging and illegal practice of placing horses on land without permission. They’re often in inappropriate places such as verges, playing fields or farmland. It causes horses to suffer and die, as well as risks to public safety and problems for landowners (including local authorities), the police and entire communities.

Better legislation needed

World Horse Welfare North West Field Officer is John Cunningham. He met with Paul Maynard MP and explains the predicament: “With no one piece of dedicated legislation that allows landowners to remove these horses, the problem is not resolved easily. Several different pieces of legislation may apply requiring costly legal advice, and the process can be lengthy.

“One of the reasons why fly grazing has proliferated is because it is so easy to get away with. The benefits to perpetrators far outweigh any risks, especially costs to the perpetrator. One dealer recently convicted of animal cruelty is thought to have over 2,000 horses being fly grazed across the country – frequently moved between sites. All these could become the responsibility of local authorities or animal welfare groups at any time. But the present law makes taking pre-emptive action almost impossible.”

The inability to trace ownership is the fundamental reason why current laws don’t work. Fly grazers rarely comply with equine identification legislation so the vast majority of fly grazed horses cannot be linked to an owner. In some circumstances, action can only be taken after a minimum of two weeks of trying to trace the owner. The only option open to local authorities once horses have been confiscated is to put them, microchipped and passported, into auction. Far too often these horses will simply be bought back by the dealer. The horses value has now increased with a passport and microchip and the problem is perpetuated. Separately, violence and intimidation of landowners, particularly farmers, can accompany fly grazing and there is little redress.