A Tale of Two trees

At Mane Chance, we aim to care for our land as much as our animals - only then will we be able to give them the quality of home that they deserve.

We have a tree and hedgerow planting programme running at the Sanctuary.  It's really important for us to treat our land with respect and kindness as it gives our animals the best possible grazing conditions.  Not only is it paramount to have good quality grass with low sugars yet plenty of nutrients; but it's also important to have natural shade and foraging opportunities for our horses too.

We have just planted three new mature trees at the Sanctuary - two Beech and one Elm tree.  Two of these trees have a wonderful story behind them.....

Charlie's Beech Tree

We are delighted that this new Beech tree has been sponsored by the Charles Christopher Michael Golder Foundation, which was set up in celebration of the life of Charles Golder.  This charitable organisation raises funds to support scientific research into cancer and rare genetic illnesses such as Pompe disease but it also extends its support to other causes which were important to Charlie including respecting, loving and protecting the planet's wildlife.  The concept of Charlie's Garden was his expressed wish to have a tree planted in his honour in a quiet and peaceful place near his home in Vienna.  Charlie, a British journalist working in Austria, was diagnosed with Pompe disease in 2005 and cancer in 2014.  He died in January 2018, aged just 27.  This Beech tree, planted at Mane Chance by Charlie's Garden, brings Charlie's wish over to Surrey and will stand as a reminder to all to take care of our environment and enjoy it's beauty.  As it grows, it will give valuable shade to our horses as they graze our land and will benefit them for many years to come.

Please visit the Charlie's Garden website to learn more about this foundation.

Ulmus 'New Horizon' Elm

A few months ago, through Dame Judi Dench, we became aware of a new variety of Elm that had been developed to be resistant to the destructive Dutch Elm disease.  In the late 1960's, when Dutch Elm disease struck Britain, it wiped out over 30 million mature elm trees, almost the entire UK population of elms.  Now this new breed of disease-resistant tree is set to return the glorious elm back to our country.  Dame Judi Dench has been a great supporter of this planting programme and it was through her promotion of this species that we learnt about this tree.  We were determined to provide a home for one at the Sanctuary and set about raising sponsorship to allow us to plant a New Horizon Elm on our site.  We are now delighted to have this new addition to our Sanctuary - it a wonderful symbol of triumph over disaster which feels very fitting for Mane Chance.

You can read more information on the Ulmus 'New Horizon' tree on the Hillier website - not only were they partners in the breeding programme, but they also supplied us with our Elm!