Exclusive:
Faye Winter has revealed she was left heartbroken after witnessing individuals taking wild horses from the Devonshire Moors to later be sold on for as little as £10.50
Faye Winter has recalled the devastation her family faced after a tragic event.
The former Love Island star turned charity ambassador swapped the glitzy life of London and returned to her Devon routes, often finding comfort in walking through the moors with her dogs, Bonnie and Nora, and her family. But during her outing, Faye, her mum and dad Keith became close to a beige horse, which instantly took a liking to her family.
However, as time went on, the 29-year-old was left bewildered after noticing the horse she became attached to hadn’t been seen for some time. But on September 24, Faye recalls the ground “shaking” before seeing a string of motorbikes riding recklessly across the stunning moorland.
This, however, proved to be heartbreaking as the individuals started chasing the wild horses before herding them into a vehicle as part of the “pony collections”. Soon after the “collections”, the wild horses are later sold on at auctions for as little as £10.50 and the new owners are never checked before the livestock is handed over.
“I looked at my mum and was like ‘Where is Keith? We haven’t seen him for weeks,” before adding she feared she would never see him again. She added: “It’s like any kind of animal in the UK, there’s no regulations around it which baffles me, they can go anywhere for anything – there were stories a few years ago, they were being sold for dog food.
“For me, it broke my heart. You just don’t know where they’re going to end up. Some of these horses were going for £10.50.” But in a spur of the moment decision, Faye and Keith decided to head to the local auction in order to find the pony. She commented: “When me and my dad went up there, I was like ‘I have to find him’, I had no idea where I was going to take him, I just knew I had to find him. I found him and then I had to get him a friend called Kevin.”
“They can’t be on their own, they’re baby foals, they’ve just been taken from their mums,” she added before going on to say: “They’ve just been snatched in by farmers, some of them will go to amazing homes but I’m not going to sit here and say they’re not going to but it doesn’t sit right with me.”
After heading to the auction, Faye purchased Kevin and Keith for a total of £180 – half of what some people pay for one pony. But during her time there, she learnt that many of the horses who didn’t sell would be sent to the slaughter house. Since purchasing her two babies, Faye has since found stabling for them and spends time with the pair each day and couldn’t be happier.
In a heartbreaking admission, Faye commented: “Some of them end up in really terrible homes, it could be a first time owner. There are some people that literally rake them, put them in the boot of their cars and travel in the back of their cars wherever they’re going. You just don’t know where they’re going to end up.”
But while Faye understands that the farming industry is incredibly tough across the UK following the cost of living crisis and pandemic, she admits its heartbreaking to see animals come to an “abrupt end” and are “ripped away from their mothers” before being weaned. “Keith and Kevin, they’ve had three weeks of distress, I can’t even begin to imagine how they felt or what they’ve been through,” she said.
Beaming from ear-to-ear, the animal lover confessed: “Now, they’ve got a lifetime of happiness and safety, I’m going to love them as if they are my newly born child!” Faye has never been afraid to use her platform for what she believes is right and famously called out the government for the ban of XL Bully dogs. Those owning the dogs had been warned to have their animals euthanised by a registered vet by January 31, 2024, if they didn’t want to apply for a certificate of exemption.
“I find it hard because in my industry, so many people are so afraid to talk out on things that they really care about,” Faye said, adding: “Ive really noticed that. A lot of the time you can be silenced in what you want to talk about because it’s not seen as that you should talk about it. A lot of people won’t touch on it because they’re too afraid that they’re going to upset others. We have to be seen as always level and no opinions then we can’t get cancelled – there’s such a cancel culture at the moment that people are so afraid of but with things like this, I can’t not speak out on it.”
Since finding fame, Faye has often turned down glamorous events and is happier to focus on her charity work, having become an ambassador for Guide Dogs, as well as working closely with Battersea Dogs & Cats home and dozens of animal rescue centres.
Follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.
