We love going to visit the Horse Trust in Speen. I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl, and now I’m taking my own children along. It’s a popular day out with us all; fun, affordable and usually ends with cake or ice cream!
Settled within the beauty of the Chiltern Hills, this place is another hidden gem within Buckinghamshire. You rarely hear about it but it makes for a fantastic trip out and should definitely be added to your arsenal of low-cost, family friendly days out.
It’s not just that this is a fun place to visit; the Trust do some really great work at housing horses who have done some of the most important jobs in their twilight years now that they’ve ‘retired’. From police horses to royal horses, there’s a real mix in the jobs the animals have carried out during their lives.
Want to plan your own visit to the Horse Trust? Well read on; I’ve got all the details covered.
What do you need to know when planning a visit to the Horse Trust?
The Horse Trust is open every week from Thursday – Sunday, 1-4pm. During the school holidays, they also open on a Wednesday. The trust closes entirely for winter throughout December and January.
Admission cost is very low. It’s just £8 per car, or £5 per car if you have a Blue Badge or are over 66 and classed as an OAP. If you’re arriving by foot, it’s just £1 per person!
All tickets must be pre-booked except for people arriving on foot or people with season passes. It could be worth investing in a season pass, as they cost just £35 per car! At £8 a visit, you’d need to visit just four times in the year to get your moneys worth. Every visit beyond that would be “free”.
There is plenty of free parking on site.
Anyone can visit the Horse Trust as it’s really accessible. It’s suitable for wheelchair users and also pushchairs.
There are toilets on site and also a tea room, with indoors and outdoors seating available.
There’s more than just horses to see!
Obviously the main attraction at the Horse Trust is meeting the horses and donkeys! They’re all housed in stables that are have half open doors so that visitors can reach in and stroke the horses – but you cannot feed them. There are plenty of residents to go around and meet, and you can stay there for as long as you like! I am often being dragged away after going around all the residents twice. Rarely do my boys want to go around a third time but I definitely could do!
However, aside from meeting the animals, there are other things to see and do.
First, the grooming station! Every Sunday between 2 and 3pm you can groom a Shetland pony (subject to weather conditions as this cannot be done in wet weather). There is no need to pre-book this, just head over to the grooming station and wait your turn!
Then there’s the World War Two room and the museum. Both of these are located in the main yard. These share the history of the Horse Trust and show how they helped war horses, and how war horses helped soldiers. It’s a really interesting part of history to learn about.
Finally, there’s the Black Beauty Tea Room. With inside and outside seating, this is the perfect pit stop for your visit, with a broad offering of hot and cold drinks, cake, ice creams and cream teas. There’s also a horse-themed toy shop within the tea room – beware of this if you’re going in with little ones! You may struggle to leave empty handed.
We love the Horse Trust!
It ticks all the boxes for us as a family trip out. It’s low-cost, it’s fun and it entertains people of all ages. You can easily spend a good couple of hours here and fill an afternoon for just £8. What a bargain!
If you want to support the charity, you can even sponsor some of the horses from £3 a month. There are so many different horses to choose from, all with their own unique background, so you can find one that you love and feels like a fit for you! Of course the main thing is the donation, as this is what keeps the Horse Trust going and enables them to keep doing the fantastic work that they do.
Have you visited the Horse Trust before? Will you be planning a visit now? Let me know!
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