Public saves French horse sanctuary from closure

An association that takes in old or injured horses that cannot find a home has been saved by donations from the public, amid fears it would have to shut down by October. 

Un Souvenir pour Gribouille has raised more than €5,000 – much to the surprise of president Jennifer Petitnet – meaning that it will survive for the foreseeable future, although it is still in need of regular donors.

The association was created in 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Mrs Petitnet saw an advertisement on Leboncoin for an old pony named Gribouille. 

She went to see it and found a 25-year-old animal in a “catastrophic state”, with owners who did not take into account of Gribouille’s age or physical condition. 

Mrs Petitnet decided to take the pony and care for him herself. Although he died soon after, she thought: ‘If I can take care of one animal, why not more?’

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Passion to help horses

Mrs Petitnet is no stranger to the equine world – her grandfather was a horse breeder and so formed a bond with horses from an early age, becoming a professional rider. 

In an ideal world, the association would like to find homes for the horses. However, it concedes this is unlikely for most due to their age, infirmity or history of abuse and mistreatment.

“We are the final link in the chain,” said Mrs Petitnet. “We just try to give these horses a decent end to their lives.

“The association started as a personal thing. I was not trying to expand it. However, when there was a rumour going around that animals transmitted Covid, lots of people were trying to get rid of theirs,” she said.

“There was a wave of abandonment, so I was inundated with old and injured horses and we became a sanctuary for them.”

Up to this point, the association had been exclusively funded by Mrs Petitnet. After four years, she ran out of money and so decided to set up a charity page online, where people could donate. 

Exceeding all expectations

She set a target of €4,512, corresponding to the vet fees she had to pay, but “I expected maybe €200 or €300 at most,” she said. 

“The team and I were totally shocked. If we were unable to raise the money, we were going to close down, so it was a massive relief.

“The alternative for these animals is euthanasia, because no one wants to take care of them and they cost money. It has shown us that people do care about these animals and support us.” 

Mrs Petitnet is now looking for monthly donors who can help her with the vet fees, which are too much for her to take care of alone.

To learn more about the association and see the animals, you can follow it at facebook.com/Jenniferpetitnet.