MORE than 80 abused and neglected horses and ponies rescued from a life of misery and cruelty are being nursed back to health at the Horses and Ponies Protection Association centre at Briercliffe, near Burnley.

The centre at Shores Hey Farm in Halifax Road reopened in late July to visitors after being closed for several months due to the foot and mouth crisis.

On Sunday there will be a special open day to encourage visitors to meet the horses, view the new veterinary unit and hopefully help contribute towards the cost of feeding, stabling and caring for the equines.

Manager Roland Connolly, who took over in July last year, said the centre would now be open to visitors every day of the year except Christmas Day, from 10am until 4pm.

Last Sunday Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Desert Orchid visited to officially open the new veterinary unit which includes a solarium. A series of strategically-placed heat lamps allow muscular problems to be soothed away and encourage sores to heal, and apparently the horses love it -- they have such large muscle groups that it takes a long while for the heat to penetrate and allow their muscles to relax.

Cash for the £30,000 project came from the Ilkley support group and a company called Equisure, which makes matting for stables and disinfectant for horseboxes, provided rubber matting for the unit.

Patrons who support the charity include Eric Richard, better known as Sgt Bob Cryer from long-running television police series The Bill, Likely Lad James Bolam, comedians Russ Abbot and Spike Milligan, actress Liza Goddard and Coronation Street barmaid Betty, actress Betty Driver.

Alvin Stardust, Liza's ex-husband, is also a patron and Roland wants to chivvy up all the stars to donate items for a forthcoming auction.

At the moment there are about 40 horses on HAPPA's rehoming list and staff are keen to hear from people who can offer them good homes. Some can be ridden, but others can never be ridden and will be literally put out to grass as a companion for another horse, pony or donkey.

However some horses will be resident at the centre until they die because they have ailments or are physically unable to be rehomed.

Roland said: "We have 18 'adoption' horses and people can come and groom them and take them for walks."

Stable bills are in the region of £7,000 per week but the charity has about 7,000 members who pay £10 per year to sponsor a horse.

This would also make a good Christmas gift for an animal lover who would like to help support the horses' living costs and can visit and check on their adoptive animal's progress -- without having to clean up all the dung!