Days Out: Redwings Horse Sanctuary review
I live really close to Redwings Horse Sanctuary – like, really close. But I had never been until two weeks ago. Maybe with zoos and dinosaur parks just down the road, I didn’t really feel I was missing out. But I was wrong. Very wrong.
Because it turns out Redwings is a godsend for babies and toddlers alike. (I also saw lots of older kids but for this review I’ll stick to what I know.) Entrance is a very reasonable £3 optional donation and with that comes hours of entertainment for little minds. Whether it’s squelching footprints on muddy walkways, watching horses or goats snacking on hay or a visit to Red’s Shed, I managed to keep my toddler and toddler-in-training smiling for a whole afternoon.
First off, we visited ‘the Gangsters’, who, despite being named after famous crime bosses such as Ronnie and Reggie, are an affectionate group of five Shetland ponies who will happily meet visitors at their fence for nose strokes and tickles. Their paddock is right next to the cafe and visitor centre so it’s most visitors’ first stop but you can also watch the Shetlands from the outside dining area. But I warn you, these guys are borderline addictive: they are very friendly and the perfect height for toddlers and pre-schoolers – we came back at least twice.
We journeyed along the paths using the Redwings maps and here comes my big tip: please god wear wellies when you visit. We went after there had been a lot of rainfall the night before so there were A LOT of puddles and squelchy mud and as we brought a pushchair, it wasn’t ideal. However, we made it to Redwings’ resident donkeys Wiggins and Wacko. You know all those farmyard songs with the animal noises? Well fair play to these donkeys for actually obliging with some very loud ‘eeyore’ sounds. They were also cheeky enough to headbutt the wooden divider off to get into the food enclosure early while we were there.
We passed the goats who bleated a brief hello to us from their enclosure before we started our horse walk. Of course, we’re asked not to feed the animals at Redwings, to prevent them getting sick but I was surprised how friendly they all were. Plenty of horses came up to see us as we walked uphill and we even saw (what looks like) a whole horse family in one field. There was a mini car driving around refilling hay bales so we got to see what excited horses look like. Our favourite horse was Cookie, whose colouring really is like a chocolate chip cookie. Plus, even as someone who lives nearby the field views were particularly spectacular. I saw a lot of Londoners take photos.
While there was a little opportunity at Red’s Shed for some imaginative play with pretend riding helmets, I actually saw most toddlers in the Gulliver’s Café which seemed familiar with families of young children. All proceeds go to Redwings themselves and the food was very fresh. For two lots of tea and cake it was just under £10. There is also a giant model horse at the visitor which is great for photos.
I’m not a great fan of petting zoos but places like Redwings Horse Sanctuary are a great way to teach toddlers and pre-schoolers about farmyard animals. As we got ready to leave, there were two pre-schoolers throwing tantrums – which is a sign of a glowing review from young ones. Maybe the reason why ours didn’t is because we already said we’d be back again very soon.
