The Horse Trust wishes to clarify its position regarding the Green Paper “No Animal Left Behind” (May 2021). Contributions to the publication were provided by the 50 organisations named. The Horse Trust’s expertise lies solely within the equine sector and as such supplied input to the points relating only to horses. The Horse Trust was…
Horse Trust resident, retired Metropolitan Police horse, Oliver. Photo credits: Christine Dunnington Photography Is it too late to say it? Happy New Year! As we look back on an incredible year, we want to say a huge thank you to you – our amazing supporters. Without your generosity, we simply couldn’t provide the care our…
A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has found that 40% of horses had suffered a traumatic injury within the past year. Only 13% of injuries occurred during ridden exercise, while 62% occurred while the horse was turned out in the field. The research, which has been accepted for publication by the…
At The Horse Trust, we’re committed to protecting not just the horses in our care but also the environment they call home. From measuring our carbon footprint to preserving the rich biodiversity of our Chilterns sanctuary, we’re taking meaningful steps to ensure a greener future. Read on to discover how we’re embracing sustainability – and…
At The Horse Trust, 2024 marked a turning point as we redoubled our efforts to weave sustainability into every aspect of our work. While our primary mission has always been to provide exceptional care for our beloved herd and advance excellence in equine welfare, we recognise that protecting the environment is just as important –…
Last week The Horse Trust attended British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) annual Congress, the largest gathering of equine veterinary professionals outside of the US, packed full of success and learnings for the whole veterinary sector. We were honoured to be represented by Dr Gemma Pearson, Director of Behaviour at The Horse Trust who presented the…
Equine charities forging new welfare partnership with online course for farriers The Horse Trust and Redwings Horse Sanctuary have united to create an online course for farriers on Equine Welfare and legislation, as part of our ongoing commitment to improving the lives of equines in the UK. One of the big issues we face as…
Horse Trust rescue residents, Ernie and Sam, grazing in the Chilterns. Photo credits: Natalie, Senior Groom. A ground breaking discovery has been made in the quest to understand and combat Equine Grass Sickness (EGS), a devastating disease that has baffled researchers for over a century. Scientists have identified a neurotoxin, with actions similar to snake…
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has succeeded in killing equine sarcoid cells in vitro by silencing a gene in the virus that causes sarcoids. The researchers are now hoping to obtain funding for clinical trials using the new technique, which could result in a more effective, non-toxic treatment for sarcoids. Sarcoids are…
The term colic refers to abdominal pain in horses. It is common and often resolves with simple treatment but, dependent on the cause it can have serious consequences for their health and they can deteriorate rapidly, even with treatment. It is one of the most common causes of death in the UK horse population. The…
Development and Implementation of a Strangles Surveillance System The Horse Trust has been funding Strangles research for over 20 years and is supporting the development of a Strangles surveillance programme in partnership with the Animal Health Trust (AHT). Led by Dr Richard Newton, the new system will be the first to accurately monitor the spread…
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is now conducting testing for atypical myopathy as part of the RVC’s work towards improved treatments and management of this disorder, and to enhance the welfare of affected horses. What is Atypical myopathy? Atypical myopathy of horses is a severe and life threatening equine muscle disorder that is caused by…
The Horse Trust and Royal Veterinary College are conducting a survey to identify the reasons why owners have had to make the difficult decision to have their horse put to sleep. The results of the survey will be used to help inform guidance and advice that can be used to support other people that may…
This month we’re shining a light on our Director of Fundraising & Communications, Jess. Jess has been with us since 2020, raising the vital funds that enable our charity to keep helping horses both at our Home of Rest, and further afield. It was Jess’s love of animals that drew her to The Horse Trust,…
For this month’s Hay There we caught up with Claire, Veterinary Assistant at The Horse Trust and a familiar face around here, having been a part of our team for 22 years! Claire started full-time with The Horse Trust in 2001 following work experience with us, and hasn’t looked back since. She works closely with…
This month we’re shining a light on our Director of Research & Policy, Jan. Jan has been with us since 2018, pushing new developments in the equine world at governmental level to help improve the effectiveness of laws and law enforcement for the horse world. Jan’s favourite achievement to date is The Horse Trust’s Healthiest…
In 2019 The Horse Trust created and piloted the Healthiest Body Condition Awards (#theweightowin) in collaboration with The University of Liverpool to spread the word about the importance of healthy equine weight. Peoples’ perceptions of what a healthy weight is have become skewed towards the higher body condition scores and, consequentially, are causing serious health…
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has discovered that a racehorse’s performance does not markedly change after it has recovered from a tendon injury. The research was led by Bryan O’Meara, who is in the final year of a three year clinical training scholarship funded by The Horse Trust. O’Meara carried out the…
A new research technique developed to investigate the infectious equine disease Strangles has helped scientists discover how bacteria that causes sore throats survive in humans. The Horse Trust provided funding to The Animal Health Trust (AHT) through our research grant programme, to enable them to improve the design of vaccines for the prevention of strangles…
A research project funded The Horse Trust has confirmed that stabling horses results in increased exposure to environmental ammonia and that this is associated with respiratory problems. The presence of ammonia in stables, which is caused by the decomposition of a horse’s urine and faeces, has long been a concern of horse owners and yard…
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has discovered how proteins in horse’s mucus change with the development of equine respiratory disease. The researchers are now investigating how these changes are regulated, which may enable the development of new treatments for this condition. Respiratory problems are common in horses, with various surveys reporting that…
A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has discovered that proteins in a commonly-injured tendon are renewed less frequently in older horses, which is likely to lead to an increased risk of tendon injury. The research was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry last month (1). Tendon injury is one of…
A research project funded by equine charity The Horse Trust has developed and validated two simple techniques that can be used to monitor respiratory problems in horses and ponies. These techniques could potentially be used by vets to screen for horses with respiratory problems and to assess whether a horse being treated for a respiratory…
A genetic test for carriers of Fell Pony Foal Syndrome, developed with funding from The Horse Trust, has been a hit with the Fell and Dales breeding community, with nearly 1000 breeders submitting samples for testing in just one year. Fell Pony Foal Syndrome, which is now known as Foal Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FIS) as it…
Laminitis is an extremely painful condition and more than 8000 ponies and horses in the UK suffer an acute attack for the first time each year. Many of these animals become chronically debilitated and prone to recurrent attacks, joining the UK herd of more than 16,000 chronically affected animals. Animals with chronic disease or frequent…
The Horse Trust has for some time been actively involved in areas of research that are enhancing the way we measure horse health and well-being. The study of equine behaviour is one of the cornerstones now considered as vital to measuring the quality of life for our horses. As yet there is no deep understanding…
Photo credits: British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) We are incredibly proud of The Horse Trust’s Research & Policy Director, Jan Rogers, for winning the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Equine Welfare Award at this year’s prestigious awards ceremony during BEVA Congress earlier this month. This well-deserved recognition is a testament to her groundbreaking work on…
Atypical Myopathy of horses is a severe and life threatening muscle disorder that is caused when horses eat Sycamore tree seeds, leaves or seedlings. Following research that was supported by The Horse Trust and the Royal Veterinary College’s Animal Care Trust, testing of seeds, seedlings and leaves for the “hypoglycin A” toxin known to cause…
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has found that lameness is the most common reason for euthanasing a geriatric horse. This research is the first in the UK to provide data on the causes of death in geriatric horses. Although post-mortem studies have provided some data regarding causes of death, “old age” was…
For this week’s Hay There we were delighted to sit down with Liane Preshaw, our Equine Quality of Life and Research Director. Liane started with The Horse Trust in 2007 and will soon be coming up to her 16th anniversary with us! Liane’s passion for equine welfare drives her to tirelessly explore ways we can…
New research conducted by the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and funded by The Horse Trust has confirmed that its Strangles blood test is significantly more accurate for measuring a horse’s immune response to the bacteria behind the disease, Streptococcus equi, when compared to another test available on the market. The research, detailed in a recently…
The Horse Trust is working with the University of Liverpool to understand the links between the work the farrier (the person that trims horses’ feet and shoes them if needed) does, the horse’s foot (hoof) shape and lameness in horses. It’s a very important piece of work because results so far show that almost half…
The potential role of bacteria in the development of periodontal disease in horses has been shown in research funded by The Horse Trust. The research, which was carried out by Alistair Cox at the University of Edinburgh, is also the first study to describe the microscopic anatomy of equine periodontal disease. Cox plans to submit…
The recent outbreaks of equine flu across the country has been a wake-up call for all horse keepers as to the importance of good hygiene and of course, vaccination. We are working with the Animal Health Trust on horse diseases. Here at the Horse Trust we take this very seriously and provide funds for important…
A research project funded by The Horse Trust has discovered that the expression of a particular protein in fat tissue is positively associated with an increased rate of post-operative mortality in horses. The research was led by Melissa Packer, who recently finished a three year clinical training programme at the University of Liverpool funded by…
Sycamore trees, a British favourite until the helicopter seeds drop and need clearing, unless you want lots of sycamore trees, but these little seeds present a real threat to horses. They can cause a disease so deadly that around three quarters of the horses affected will die, and most of those within the first two…
The Weigh To Win (#weightowin) team was thrilled to take its training programme on the road at the kind invitation of GB PRE. The #weightowin scheme aims to help people, particularly within the showing community, understand the importance of maintaining horses at a healthy body weight. This is essential because, in some breeds and types,…
Did you know that horses’ teeth steadily erupt to counteract the wear they receive from grinding together during the 12-14 hours a day they spend eating? Once they have lost their milk teeth, a horse’s adult teeth have very long ‘roots’ which sit below the gum line and continually move through the gum line throughout…
The Horse Trust is hosting a key event next spring where we will welcome scientists and researchers from the horse world to collaborate with us and develop a new type of health survey for the UK’s horses. This is important because we know about the types of health conditions that horses are treated by vets…
Join The Horse Trust for the first in our new Clinical Animal Behaviour webinar series! Are you working towards becoming a registered equine Clinical Animal Behaviourist? Would you like to learn more about how registered Clinical Animal Behaviourists deal with equine behaviour cases? Are you interested in equine behaviour and approaches used to manage…
Unlike the humans at our site, our residents can’t speak to us in the same way – we often must rely on their behaviour to tell us when something isn’t right. This was the case last week when one of our older residents, Bulawayo, was showing signs of fear whilst being brought in from the…
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Jeanette Allen
Chief Executive Officer
Jeanette is a chartered director who began her career in the commercial sector, setting up and running her own successful recruitment business. After the sale of the business she moved to the charity sector as a fundraiser for the NSPCC and later Bart’s Hospital before becoming the CEO of the MedicAlert Foundation.
Jeanette became the CEO of The Horse Trust in 2010 where she has undertaken a strategic review of the Trust’s charitable aims and objectives and also implemented a major re-development project at the charity’s base, the Home of Rest for Horses, in Buckinghamshire.
Carolyn Madgwick
Director of Legislation & Enforcement
Carolyn joined The Horse Trust in 2016 having spent 27 years as a Senior Trading Standards Officer leading a team of officers specialising in the enforcement of animal health and welfare legislation. At The Horse Trust, Carolyn maintains her level of expertise in legislation, develops training materials and provides training and advice on legislation for many audiences including the Emergency Services, Local Authorities, Vets and other equine charities. She is the current Chair of the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC), the British Horse Council representative on the RCVS Riding Establishments Sub-Committee and represents the Trust on many other committees and in meetings with Government Officials.
Charlotte Launder
Director of Training
Charlotte has more than 20 years’ experience working with horses and has been at The Horse Trust since 2012. Prior to this Charlotte worked as a lecturer at an agricultural college during her PGCE teaching students in Further and Higher Education. As the Director of Training, she coordinates internal and external training courses. This includes training the Equine Care Team internally and externally, training Emergency Responders, Welfare Professionals, Farriers, and other professionals. Charlotte also manages the retraining of horses at The Horse Trust using behaviour modification techniques and is working towards becoming a Clinical Animal Behaviourist to support this.
Claire Lett
Director of Finance & Administration
Claire has been a qualified accountant for over 20 years. Having joined The Horse Trust in 2001, Claire is the Director of Finance and Administration where she deals with everything financial up to and including full statutory accounts. As part of the senior management team she has also been involved in all aspects of modernising the charity and setting and achieving its strategic goals. Claire was a dedicated rider and horse owner for many years and feels passionately about all animals.
Jan Rogers
Director of Research and Policy
Jan is a psychology graduate who before joining The Horse Trust spent 15 years with British Equestrian, the UK governing body for horse sports, running programmes to identify future talent in young performance horses. Jan came to The Horse Trust in 2017 to look after research grants and policy for the horse world. This two-part role involves sharing the knowledge learned from funded projects as well as understanding regulations and the political environment in the horse world, so that the research we fund is relevant and directly applicable to the wellbeing of horses.
David Andrews
Estate Manager
David is one of the longest standing members of The Horse Trust team. After working as a chef for a period of time, he joined The Horse Trust in 1998 as an estate worker. David is now the Estate Manager, and takes care of all maintenance of our 280 acre estate including ensuring that the fields in which our horses, ponies and donkeys live are well maintained, that they are secure and provides our residents with the best possible environment.
Gemma Pearson
Director of Equine Behaviour
Gemma combines her time between research and outreach as Director of Equine Behaviour at The Horse Trust and running a referral clinic for clinical equine behaviour cases where she is based at the University of Edinburgh. She is also an accredited racecourse veterinary surgeon and enjoys working at Musselburgh racecourse.
After working in ambulatory practice Gemma moved to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies where she completed a rotating residency programme in the equine hospital, completing her Cert AVP (EM), alongside an MScR investigating horse veterinarian interactions.
Subsequently she completed her CCAB (certified clinical animal behaviourist) and her PhD thesis ‘Stress in equids undergoing veterinary care and the development of interventions that positively influence the horses’ experience’. As well as continuing with her own research she supervises several students at PhD, MSc and undergraduate level.
Gemma is frequently invited to lecture internationally, as a recognised expert in this field and an excellent communicator. One of the most successful projects was filming a series of short YouTube videos with the British Equine Veterinary Association aiming to reduce injury rates when dealing with difficult horses under the ‘Don’t break your vet’ campaign.
As the Veterinary Liaison Officer for the International Society for Equitation Science, Gemma is passionate about improving interactions between horses and people, specifically regarding the application of learning theory. In her spare time she has competed up to advanced level endurance on a homebred horse as well as enjoying competing in affiliated dressage and eventing. Currently she is retraining a Thoroughbred recently retired from racing.
Gemma is a qualified veterinary surgeon with over 15 years’ experience with behaviour cases. Gemma is now a qualified Equine Clinical Animal Behaviourist and is the Veterinary Liaison Officer for the International Society for Equitation Science, where she has been involved with several working parties to improve the welfare of horses around the world. Currently, Gemma is undertaking a PhD investigating the stress response of horses undergoing veterinary treatment, with the plan to develop low stress handling techniques.
Jim green
Director of Operations for BARTA
Jim co-founded the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Association (BARTA) in 2012 and together with Professor Josh Slater, promoted the growing initiative alongside their regular careers. BARTA was established with a clear vision to support first responders in the resolution of emergency situations involving animals, with informed, safe and welfare driven plans. In 2019, BARTA became a subsidiary of The Horse Trust and this partnership enabled Jim to continue the journey as full time Director of BARTA. Jim continues to respond operationally to animal incidents through his on-call role as an Animal Rescue Specialist with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Liane Preshaw
Quality of Life and Research Director
In her role, Liane supports the team by researching new developments in how we care for, manage and train horses, so that we can continue to update and improve our practices, and therefore improve the welfare of the horses in our care. Liane also develops training resources for trainee clinical animal behaviourists and assists the team in dealing with behaviour cases. Liane has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Clinical Animal Behaviour, an MPhil in assessing horse welfare, and an MSc and BSc in Equine Science. She is an ABTC registered Accredited Animal Behaviourist and has achieved pre-certification as a Clinical Animal Behaviourist, which means she has met the knowledge criteria for this role. Liane continues to develop her clinical skills and is working towards becoming an ABTC registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist. She is also a BHS Accredited Professional Coach.
Nicola Housby-Skeggs
Veterinary Director
Nicky graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2007 and joined The Royal Army Veterinary Corps. She served for 10 years: firstly, with Military Working Dogs preparing them and their handlers for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. Later she served as the veterinary officer for The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment with some of The Horse Trust’s most loved residents including the late Falstaff and Captain Greatgun. She now works as the Veterinary Director for The Horse Trust providing both the onsite veterinary provision, internal and external training and providing part of the RVC final year rotations.
Russell Pickin
Director of Equine Care
Before joining The Horse Trust, Russell completed thirty-four years’ service with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). He specialised in public order work as an instructor at the Public Order Training Centre and then the Mounted Branch. As a Mounted Branch Inspector, Russell commanded mounted units on countless public order, large incidents and ceremonial events across London and finished his career riding on and commanding the mounted units at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. He was the Chairman for the National Mounted Training Advisory Group and also the MPS’s Chief Equitation Officer responsible for buying and training police horses and the training of the MPS’s mounted officers. During this role he developed a good working partnership with The Horse Trust where he is now the Director of Equine Care and heads a team of grooms and volunteers that look after our 130 horses.
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Jessica Tallman
Director of Fundraising & Communications
Jessica has been at the heart of The Horse Trust’s fundraising and communications since 2020, working tirelessly to secure the vital support that keeps our sanctuary running. From planning major events and writing grant proposals to championing our work in the media, no two days are ever the same!
Growing up in Kentucky, Jessica was surrounded by animals and always had a passion for their wellbeing. Now, she works shoulder to shoulder with our team of experts, helping give back to the horses who have given so much to us.
With six years in the charity fundraising sector, including roles at Coeliac UK, and previous experience in the corporate sector, Jessica brings a wealth of knowledge in development and growth. She also holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Arts, History, and Business from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Aberdeen.
Jessica is a driving force behind our fundraising success, ensuring we can continue providing the best possible care to every horse, pony, and donkey at our Home of Rest for Horses and beyond.
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