Springwood Sanctuary

Springwood Sanctuary is not open to the general public. Instead, we offer carefully managed opportunities for volunteering, education, research and wellbeing. Keeping visitor numbers small protects the tranquillity of the sanctuary and respects the privacy, security and autonomy of the animals who live here.

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Our approach is based on meaningful participation rather than visitor numbers. People are invited to slow down, connect with the natural world and contribute to the care and restoration of the land. Encounters with the horses are never arranged or guaranteed. The horses always choose whether they wish to approach or interact.

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A Different Model of Community Engagement

Springwood does not seek to become a conventional visitor attraction. Our model is intentionally small-scale, inclusive and respectful. Through supported volunteering, residential stays, student placements, wellbeing days and annual sponsor visits, people can experience the sanctuary without compromising the freedom of the animals or the peace of the land.

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This enables Springwood to support its wider community while remaining true to its central purpose: providing lifelong sanctuary for animals and restoring a richly diverse landscape beside the River Teifi.

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Wellbeing Days

Springwood welcomes groups from Routes to Discovery (formerly Roots to Recovery) which works in partnership with Mind and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Participants take part in gentle, purposeful volunteering, mindfulness and nature connection within the sanctuary. Routes to Discovery contributes £100 to Springwood for each visit.​

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Holistic Wellbeing, Healing and Connection

Holistic approaches to wellbeing have long been part of life at Springwood, for both animals and people. Over the years, the sanctuary has brought together a range of practitioners and approaches, including herbal medicine, Reiki, Shiatsu, osteopathy, craniosacral work, sound healing, mindfulness and applied zoopharmacognosy – the practice of enabling animals to self-select plants and natural substances.

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For the animals, these approaches are always offered rather than imposed. Horses are free to approach, engage, move away or decline altogether, with their responses and choices guiding every interaction. This same principle of listening, observation and respect for the individual underpins much of Springwood’s wider approach to care.

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Some of these practices are also shared with volunteers, sponsors and others spending time at Springwood. Sound sessions, mindfulness, Reiki and other facilitated experiences can offer opportunities for stillness, connection with nature and a different way of being alongside the animals.

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Springwood also welcomes experienced practitioners who share our values and contribute their knowledge and skills to the sanctuary. Together, these different approaches form part of a wider exploration of wellbeing that recognises the interconnectedness of animals, people and the natural world.

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Supporting Young People and Families

A small number of young people with additional needs visit Springwood on separate occasions with their families during the year. Their visits provide opportunities for quiet connection with the horses and participation in suitable volunteering activities around the sanctuary. We are grateful for their support of the sanctuary as sponsors. 

 

We describe this as supported volunteering and nature connection, rather than therapy. The horses are never used as therapeutic tools and remain free to decide whether they wish to engage. The young people and their families are not identified publicly, protecting their privacy.

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Student Research and Internships

Springwood hosted a University of Stirling master’s student for a university-approved, month-long residential internship focused on animal-human connection.

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During their placement, Springwood provided accommodation, education, research support and immersive access to the sanctuary’s distinctive animal-centred environment. 

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This successful placement demonstrates Springwood’s potential as a setting for postgraduate research, experiential learning and future university-approved internships.

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We have also hosted two students from Bangor University on two occasions who have come to stay, volunteer and benefit from the sanctuary's peaceful seclusion to immerse in nature whilst writing their dissertations.

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Springwood Living Research Centre

Building on our existing student and educational work, we are developing the Springwood Living Research Centre as a place for ethical, multidisciplinary research rooted in the lives of the animals and the recovery of the land.

Springwood offers an unusual living field site comprising 80 acres of regenerating grassland, woodland, wetland and riparian habitat, with more than a mile of the River Teifi and a two-acre spring-fed lake. Two established herds of rehabilitated horses live here with freedom of movement, social choice and access to varied terrain and naturally occurring plants.

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We welcome enquiries from universities, colleges, students and independent researchers interested in developing respectful, non-invasive studies. Potential areas of research include:

• equine autonomy, social behaviour and trauma recovery;

• natural foraging and the self-selection of wild plants;

• hoof health, movement and self-trimming;

• horses as conservation grazers;

• biodiversity recovery and habitat creation;

• grassland, hedgerow, woodland and wetland ecology;

• river and lake health;

• the relationship between nature connection, meaningful volunteering and human wellbeing.

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Research at Springwood must respect the autonomy of the animals. Participation is never forced, and the horses are not treated as research objects or used to provide entertainment or therapy.

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Depending on the needs of an agreed project, Springwood may offer access to the sanctuary and its habitats, residential accommodation, local knowledge, practical support, existing observations and opportunities for longer-term monitoring. Projects can range from undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations to internships, placements and collaborative research programmes.

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The Springwood Living Research Centre is being developed with Dr Rebecca Mead, Springwood’s Founding Research Director. An environmental scientist and experienced field researcher, Becky brings academic and practical expertise spanning environmental science, biological fieldwork, education and animal-welfare research. Her multidisciplinary background considerably strengthens Springwood’s capacity to support students and develop credible, ethical research across the sanctuary’s animals, land and freshwater habitats. The Centre also builds upon Springwood’s successful experience hosting a University of Stirling-approved residential master’s internship.

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We are particularly interested in partnerships that produce useful, accessible knowledge for animal sanctuaries, land managers, conservation organisations and others seeking more ethical ways of living and working with animals and the natural world.

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Wild Swimming and Water-Based Wellbeing

Llandysul Paddlers have visited Springwood and supported several wild-swimming events here. Sioned has led the swimming experiences and provided homemade vegan food for participants, with £5 from every swimmer donated to the sanctuary.

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This established relationship brings together safe enjoyment of water, nature connection, wellbeing and practical support for Springwood. We hope to develop further opportunities involving wild swimming, river awareness, citizen science and care for the River Teifi.

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Volunteering at Springwood

Our regular volunteers help with practical work across the sanctuary and its 80 acres. Activities may include habitat creation, tree and hedgerow care, land management and other seasonal projects.

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Volunteer days can also incorporate mindfulness, nature observation, time beside the river or lake and shared vegan food. All activities are planned around the needs of the animals and the land.
 

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Residential Volunteer Stays

Springwood offers self-catering volunteer stays with £50/night donated to the sanctuary. These carefully managed stays combine a self-guided retreat in nature with guided volunteering on the land and facilitated mindfulness experiences.

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Participants contribute to practical sanctuary and habitat work while having time to rest, reconnect with nature and experience the peaceful environment of Springwood. Stays are offered to individuals who understand and respect our vegan, animal-centred and autonomy-led ethos.

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Animal Aid Collaboration

Springwood contributes to wider public education about the welfare of horses affected by the racing industry. We have collaborated with Animal Aid by providing photographs and sanctuary-based insight for educational campaign materials exploring the realities of horse racing and encouraging greater protection for horses.

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Several former racehorses now live permanently at Springwood, where they are free from riding, training and performance expectations. Their lives here help show what becomes possible when horses are allowed to live with autonomy, stability and lasting herd relationships.

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Annual Visits for Sponsors

Springwood sponsors are invited to visit annually for a founder-led walk around the sanctuary. The visit offers an opportunity to learn about the horses, wildlife, habitats and conservation work their support helps make possible.

Sponsors may experience a quiet connection with the herds if the horses freely choose to approach. Interaction is never expected, arranged or guaranteed. There are no petting sessions, demonstrations or managed encounters.

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Online Consultations – Supporting People and Animals Beyond Springwood

Springwood’s outreach also extends beyond the sanctuary through individual online and remote consultations, supporting people who are seeking a more holistic and compassionate approach to the wellbeing of the animals in their care.

Drawing on many years of study and practical experience in holistic animal care, natural nutrition, medicinal plants, complementary therapies and animal behaviour, Springwood founder Jacqui Howe offers one-to-one consultations by Zoom or WhatsApp. These provide an opportunity to explore an animal’s individual needs, behaviour, environment, diet and wellbeing, while considering the animal as a whole rather than focusing on a single issue in isolation.

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A central part of this approach is helping people to observe and understand their animals more deeply, including their preferences, choices and natural behaviours. Where appropriate, consultations may explore nutrition, natural foraging and self-selection, environmental and lifestyle factors, complementary approaches and practical ways of supporting greater autonomy and wellbeing.

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In this way, the knowledge and experience developed through caring for animals at Springwood can benefit animals and their people wherever they live, extending the sanctuary’s educational and compassionate outreach far beyond its physical boundaries.

 

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Conservation and Community Partnerships

Springwood works collaboratively with conservation organisations to support the recovery of the land, waterways and wildlife across the sanctuary and the wider landscape.

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Through our work with the Woodland Trust and Four Rivers for LIFE, more than 1,500 native trees have been planted across Springwood, creating new areas of developing woodland and strengthening wildlife corridors across the land. Along the River Teifi, Four Rivers for LIFE has also supported the creation and protection of an extensive riparian corridor, with areas of land alongside the river fenced from grazing to allow natural vegetation, trees and riverbank habitats to recover.

These partnerships extend beyond Springwood itself. We actively share opportunities and make connections with neighbouring landowners, helping conservation work continue across boundaries. This has already contributed to further riparian protection along the Teifi, strengthening the potential for joined-up habitat recovery at a landscape scale.

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For Springwood, collaboration is an important part of sanctuary. Restoring one piece of land has value, but connecting recovering habitats, waterways and communities can create benefits that reach far beyond our own boundaries.

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