HEARTBREAKING tales abound at the Equine Market Watch sanctuary just outside Bromyard but, far from being a sad place, it is full of hope for those lucky horses and ponies, many of whom were no more than walking skeletons when they arrived.

There is the little pony who was in appalling condition when he arrived with Elaine Tasker and her team of volunteers but, with lots of care and expert nutrition, he is now living life in the fast lane as a Prince Philip Cup mounted games pony with a family in Gloucestershire.

Then there is Jimmy, a successful steeplechaser in a former life but after starting as one of the horse world's elite, he went through home after home until he was found in February last year having been abandoned in a field throughout the winter with no shelter.

"He was skeletal. We really thought we were going to lose him," said Elaine. Jimmy responded well to care and a good home was found for him.

It didn't quite work out though as Jimmy had already decided where he wanted to stay and that was at the EMW sanctuary so he soon returned.

Equine Market Watch was set up about 20 years ago by Elaine and her friend Siobhan Lord, who runs a similar sanctuary at Talgarth.

Keeping an eye on auctions and markets around the area and trying to improve the lives of horses and ponies is just one of their passions.

It would be easy to amass hundreds of animals destined for the meat lorry but, although their motto is We will not look away, Elaine has a far more realistic view on horse neglect and cruelty.

"We take in a lot of horses which are in trouble, for example if people are no longer able to look after a horse due to illness or a death in the family," she explains. "We also take in a portion of 'value-less meatfalls' from markets. We try to take in an average of four per year if we have the space.

"However, it is a big priority of ours not to become an animal collection with lots and lots of horses. It doesn't do the animals any good and we can't save them all."

With this in mind, EMW takes a very realistic view on caring for its horses and it is one of the welfare messages it tries to impart to all horse owners. "We go for quality of life not quantity. We won't keep a new case going any longer than we think is sensible," said Elaine whose saddest case was an elderly horse called Dawn, who was taken in after her elderly owner, who had Alzheimer's disease, forgot all about her. Sadly she died the day after arriving at the sanctuary.

"We call it Dawn's Legacy and we try to remind all people with elderly relatives who own horses or ponies to keep an eye on the animals as well as their relatives," says Elaine.

"The biggest thing anyone can do with an elderly horse is to make their end dignified.

"We do take these elderly horses of course, but it is very stressful for them to get used to a new place and new regime.

"It is easier for the horse to end its days somewhere it knows and feels safe and secure."

The cheerful and fulfilling side of work for Elaine and everyone involved with EMW is the rehoming of any of their horses.

They have about 40 on permanent loan around the country after returning them to health and reschooling them to make happy, useful horses and ponies. "We don't rush the rehab. It is nice to be able to take a pony from, say six months old, in a bad state and produce a nice child's pony at the end of four years," Elaine says.

All the horses are on land loaned to EMW by Ann and Bryan Weaver, who have a farm just outside Bromyard, The sanctuary is funded by donations, volunteers and fund-raising. It has a lot of events lined up for this year which are being finalised. To see the latest updates check the website at www.equinemarketwatch.org.uk and look out for dates in the Hereford Times.