A horse rescue centre is appealing for help replacing stolen tack after burglars made off with saddles and bridles worth about £5,000.

The Isleham Horse and Pony Rescue centre in southeast Cambridgeshire, established more than 25 years ago by Wendy Davies, is home to around 100 horses as well as 300 other farm animals.

Wendy’s daughter Hayley, who runs the rescue alongside her mother on a volunteer basis, discovered the items missing when she turned up at 4.30am on Sunday morning (July 1).

“I went to unlock the feed room as usual and found the door was open — I thought mum might have forgotten to lock it at first,” Hayley said. “Then I saw a lot of stuff on the floor and I wondered if it was the yard cats but when I noticed scrape marks on the metal parts of the door, I realised there had been a break-in.

“The first thing I did was check all the stables and fields to make sure the animals were OK and it wasn’t until I came back that I realised our £700 generator and fence batteries were also gone. It was a bit of a sad day for us.”

All animals at the centre have a home for life and the 75-acre facility operates an on-site loan scheme for rescues who can still be ridden. Clients calculated that 14 lots of tack had been taken with a value of around £5,000.

“There were random bits of bridles, headcollars and riding hats gone — including donkey brides for the retired donkeys we have who used to give beach rides,” Hayley said.

“There were tatty old headcollars taken that couldn’t have been worth more than £1 but they belonged to old horses of ours who have died and they had sentimental value.

“They only left a few bits behind and we aren’t keeping them on site any more,” she added.

The centre has since had some items of tack donated but has also set up a JustGiving page which has so far raised £1,280.

“People have been brilliant, we have a saddle fitter who has given time for free to come out and fit saddles that have been donated — we’ll hopefully be able to use some of them but what we can’t find we will have to buy, as it’s unlikely that we have a saddle perfect for each horse,” Hayley said.

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“We’re not a registered charity, so we have to go out and fundraise for everything.”

Most of the stolen tack was cob or full and included a 17.5” interchangeable gullet saddle, a black 16.5” Wintec and a Pony Club Thorowgood.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police confirmed that the force were called to a burglary of a business in Crickwillow Road, and that officers were investigating.

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A rider battling a severe form of cancer has made a brave winning return to the dressage arena

British Horse Society coach Clarissa Dawson was diagnosed with terminal leukemia last summer, and endured many rounds of chemotherapy, keeping her out of the saddle for long periods of time. But she made a triumphant return to the dressage arena against the odds last month, when she won an advanced class with an impressive plus-68% at Onley Grounds, Warks, with her mare Primiende.

“I’ve had the mare since she was a three-year-old and she’s been my saving grace,” says Clarissa who, a few days after her win, received the traumatic news that her cancer had returned. “We call her Girlie at home — she always has to put her mascara on — and she’s given me a lot of pleasure over the years. This class was a small thing in comparison to other things, but to me it was a very precious win, on my very precious mare.”

Clarissa, an equine tutor at Moreton Morrell College, trains with Dan Greenwood, who she describes as “fantastic”, and also credits Liz Rogers with keeping Girlie ticking over while she undergoes treatment.

“The chemo leaves you very weak, and my white blood cell count is on the floor so I’m open to infections,” says Clarissa, who hopes to be out of hospital in early August.

“But they’re very good here at the hospital and they let me walk around, as lying in bed you lose so much strength and muscle. I also have a pedal machine that I can use lying on the bed; it’s a hoot, and everyone thinks I’m a bit nuts, but it works!

“It’s all about psychology and mindset; it’s very easy to give up,” continues Clarissa. “You have to have a goal; not a ridiculous one — even if it’s just managing to get on your horse and walk for 20 minutes that’s great. Ultimately my goal is to ride at prix st georges [PSG]. I’ve got the tailcoat but it’s still hanging up in the wardrobe — I haven’t worn it. It’s my incentive to keep fighting, and I’m quite boneheaded so I think that will get me through.

“It annoys me that this has taken my life away and stops me doing what I want to do, but competing when I can gives me a sense of normality. I had a lovely day at Onley: putting the horse in the trailer, going out and being totally independent.

“Then six days later I had the ghastly news the cancer had returned and I was whipped back into hospital to be sorted out. You have to live for the moment, appreciate the good times and take life day by day.”

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Businesswoman Katie Forrest steered the George Baker-trained Hurricane Harry to success in this year’s Magnolia Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, raising vital funds for Cancer Research UK.

It has been a “whirlwind” few months for the design agency managing director, who stepped up to the challenge in May when one rider dropped out.

The Swarovski-sponsored charity race runs over five furlongs and involves a field of inspirational ladies donning silks and breeches to battle it out for the Magnolia Cup title.

Magnolia Cup jockeys

“I begged to do this race in March, but the riders had already been selected,” said Katie. “Then one dropped out in May and I got my chance to take part. Since then it has been a whirlwind to get ready for this, but it’s been worth it.

“I can’t even put my feelings into words. Mick Fitzgerald said winning [the Grand National] was better than sex and it really is.”

It was also a personal journey for Surrey-based Katie because her father Tim is undergoing treatment for cancer. Both her parents were at Goodwood to watch their daughter walk into the winner’s enclosure.

“It will be a big boost for my dad and I’ve raised £10,000 to do this, so to win it as well is insane. I owe it all to George Baker and his team, and Harry Hurricane literally carried me home — I didn’t have a clue what I was doing half the time.”

She added: “I got a good start, but the Bakers drilled it into me saying: ‘Nail the start and you will be halfway there’. I got to about a furlong out and thought ‘I don’t know where everyone else is but I’m going to keep going.’ By then my legs had gone and I was wobbling, but the horse kept going and is a legend.”

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Candida Baker, the wife of the winning trainer, said: “Katie has been riding out for us for some months, but she only had six weeks’ preparation for this. We’ve had this horse for a long time and he’s part of the family — Katie proved to us that she was good enough to ride him.

“He’s a strong horse at home and not an easy ride, but towards the end she really got to grips with him. Two weeks ago, I said she could ride him here and she burst into tears — so then I burst into tears.”

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An 18 year-old show pony repeated his winning formula at last weekend’s BHS Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), 11 years after winning the same class with another rider.

Roseview Limited Edition (Eddie) a 14.2hh British riding pony was in the ring on 29 July with owner Sarah Chandler’s 14-year-old son George.

The pair were competing in the BSPS Pretty Polly mixed height show pony Championships on the Sunday.

Eddie had won numerous championships in his five years with the Hertfordshire-based Chandler family with eldest son Harry.

Now aged 17, Harry has moved on to polo leaving Eddie for his younger brother to compete.

The pair were pulled in second out of a strong class of 22 including a Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) winner. After their show they were put up to first.

Eddie has competed at the RIHS for the last 15 years.

On 21 April he qualified at the area 15 competition for this year’s show. “We so thrilled he qualified that day because I already thought this could possibly be his last year,” said Sarah.

Eddie’s 2018 triumph was extra special as 11 years ago he won the same title with previous owner Ellie Kivlochan.

“Harry had tears in his eyes watching,” said Sarah Chandler, who herself started crying the next morning when the win finally sank in.

George and Eddie competed in hurricane-like conditions as the rain poured down on the Sunday.

A few days earlier his mother was competing in blistering heat in another ring on her elder son’s horse Basford Cavalier.

They were fourth in the amateur riding horses class and fifth in the riding horse championship.

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But nothing could compare to Eddie’s triumph, which was the perfect finale to his showing career.

“We will still ride him, but he’s now going into semi-retirement with us. We all adore this very special pony and he will never leave us,” said Sarah.

Also watching Eddie’s final win was Lisa Street, a riding instructor who has followed the pony and taught many of his riders including the Chandler brothers.

Eddie was bred by Heather Banbury and his early showing career flourished with Zoe Cutmore.

In his first year with the Chandlers he qualified for HOYS at the South of England show with Harry, then aged 12.

“He’s been the pony of a lifetime,” said Sarah, who looks after the ponies herself.

This year “because of his age he took a bit longer” to get into show condition, Sarah said, adding: “I put a lot of work into it, but it’s so worthwhile when you do get success.”

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A donkey found in Spain with hardly any hair is the saddest looking that Donkey Sanctuary staff had ever seen.

Flor was found in a town in southern Spain, when a neighbour alerted staff at El Refugio del Burrito about her neglect.

“She had virtually no hair, her skin was infected, her body covered in wounds and crawling with flies,” said Chus Moreno of the Spanish branch of the international animal welfare charity.

“She came to us easily and quietly as if she knew we were there to help.

“I was so sad for her, but kept telling myself she was finally safe, which was the most important thing.”

Flor was taken straight away to an isolation area at the sanctuary to ensure she was not contagious before she was introduced to the rest of the herd.

She was treated daily with medicated lotions and bathed with anti-bacterial shampoo.

Now turned out with plenty of shade and good quality food, she is making good progress.

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Tests show there are no underlying serious health issues or any viral or contagious skin disease.

Veterinary staff assume the alopecia and poor skin condition are due to the conditions in which Flor was kept and lack of care.

It will be many months before the donkey’s skin is fully healed.

The Donkey Sanctuary has 10 sanctuaries around the UK and Europe providing lifelong care to more than 6,000 donkeys and mules.

It also helps donkeys in other countries including Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Ethiopia, Romania, Portugal and India.

The charity’s outreach service provides veterinary care and advice on nutrition, housing, working hours, weight of load and welfare-friendly harness and cart design.

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OPINION

While browsing through my Facebook feed, from time to time I come across a post that reads something along the lines of…

“I’m devastated to be writing this, but my much loved horse is looking for a new family. Sadly is no longer able to be ridden, but would make an ideal companion. Change in circumstances means I can no longer keep him. Free to good home.”

So this ‘much loved’ horse has done the job you wanted him for, but now, whether through medical reasons or old age, can no longer be ridden. And so rather than taking responsibility for this animal at every stage in its life, including when he leaves this world, you’re going to give him away into the care of a third party and an unknown future.

I ask you a hard question: Is this really in the best interests of your horse, or are you simply passing on your problem to someone else?

Now I know lives can change in a heartbeat, and I accept that while you may have hoped to be in a position to provide your wonderful horse with a long and happy retirement, you may find it’s not possible.

But in reality, the majority of cases like this are where an owner CAN still afford to keep a horse – but only ONE horse. So when the current horse is no longer able to work, they want to replace him with another that they can ride.

I personally don’t have a problem with that. If you are in this situation, to me your options are:

A: you find the money to continue to provide the retired horse with the basic care that is required to ensure their ongoing welfare, and get a new horse you can ride, whether that is a new purchase or on loan;

B: you accept that you can only afford one horse and so continue to care for your retired horse and enjoy occasional rides on other people’s horses when they come up (you may be surprised how many people will be grateful for help keeping their horse(s) exercised, particularly during the winter);

C: (and I know this will be unpalatable to some), you have the horse you can no longer ride humanely euthanised and you get a new one you can ride.

What, in my humble opinion, you should NOT do is pass your retired horse on to a third party, who may or may not have their best interests at heart.

We’ve all heard the stories of horses that are unfit for work being taken on by individuals promising that they will have a long and happy retirement, only for the horse to be filled with bute and sold on to an unwitting buyer, or being stuck in a sale ring to make a quick buck a matter of days after being collected from their former loving homes. Do you want to run the risk of finding out that has happened to your horse?

If you are genuinely in the position where you can no longer afford to keep the horse, then I would still ask whether giving the horse away, into the care of a third party and an unknown future, is really a responsible thing to do?

Whether a horse is age five or 25, there are worse things than being humanely dispatched from this earth in surroundings that the horse knows and with the people who have provided him with many lovely experiences in the past. Yes it’s incredibly hard for the owner to make that decision, but surely that is better than the alternative described above?

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And for everyone who is saying, ‘but surely there is a charity somewhere that would take the horse’, I’m afraid you are deluding yourselves. The charity centres are fit to bursting with real welfare cases. They do NOT have space to take on any horses that do not fit that description.

It’s really hard when you find yourself in this position. I know, I’ve been there, more than once. Only you can decide what’s best for you, and your horse. Personally, I’ve chosen A, B and C at different times in different circumstances. But every time I’ve found peace with the decision I made because every time I’ve put the horse first, and that includes the time I chose option C.

If you would like to share your views on this topic for potential publication in Horse & Hound magazine then email hhletters@ti-media.com including your name and location

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A distinguished police horse who served in the May Day riots, led the New Year’s Day parade, attended state openings of parliament and was the chosen ride of the Duke of Kent has died at the age of 31.

Long-serving Irish draught Trident began his career in the force at the age of five at Wandsworth but served most of his time in central London at Great Scotland Yard.

Although the 16.3hh grey went into official retirement with mounted police head girl Jen Hutchinson and her husband Kevin in 2008, he was still called upon for occasional duties.

“He was a little git when he was younger but he mellowed and turned into a really good ceremonial horse,” said Kevin. “Although he retired at 21, his last job was in 2012 when he was an escort horse at William and Kate’s wedding.”

Trident was also the favoured mount of the Duke of Kent, who traditionally rode a police horse for the Trooping of the Colour.

Trident, second right, with the Duke of Kent

“That was the main role he kept returning for,” said Kevin. “He tried Trident one year and the two of them got along like a house on fire.

“The year we decided it was best if Trident didn’t have to go back into central London, the duke tried another horse but wouldn’t ride him on parade. He called it a day and said that if he couldn’t have his old boy Trident back, he would go by carriage instead.”

The big grey had an impressive CV, combining policing demonstrations, football matches and pop concerts with a string of ceremonial roles. These included the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, state visits, the Lord Mayor’s procession, the changing of the guard, the state opening of Parliament and escorting the cavalry change.

His more unusual jobs featured a stint as “living art” in the Tate Modern and he also turned his hoof to showjumping, winning the service jumping at Richmond Show.

Trident continued to hack at home in Essex with Kevin and Jen until last year.

“Before that he was still going out two or three times a week and enjoying life,” Kevin said. “He was certainly a character — he refused to go out with the geldings in the field and had to go out with a mare. He also liked to stop and search everyone on their way to and from the feed room.”

Trident spent his retirement at Gina Bruce’s livery yard in Essex. She also paid tribute to the “gentle giant”, adding: “We cannot put into words how much he will be missed”.

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“Our thoughts are with owners Jen and Kev who absolutely cherished him. Jen worked alongside Trident in the Metropolitan Police Force and we truly loved hearing the stories of him in his rogue days, bolting and overtaking double decker buses on Oxford Street and stamping on tourists wearing flip-flops. It’s hard to believe such a gentle giant could be such a thug!

“He made us smile every single day and we felt privileged to look after him,” she added. “He was a horse in a lifetime and so, so special. Run free over the Rainbow Bridge, big man.”

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A “revolutionary” app offers users rewards in exchange for riding.

The Huufe app, founded by Charlie Trietline and Richard Philips, has teamed up with equestrian retailers to offer discounts to users.

Riders can create personal profiles, along with profiles for their horses, on which they can post videos and photographs and share with friends who also have the app.

Key features include the “HuufeCoin” rewards programme, which allows riders to earn “coins” for riding, which can be exchanged in the HuufeCoin marketplace. Half an hour’s riding equates to one HuufeCoin with a maximum of three available per day. Current offers available in the marketplace include 35% off retailers Derby House and Ride-away and 50% off gold membership of the Harry Hall One Club.

Users can track their rides and record vaccinations, worming and farrier visits in their horses’ profiles.

Richard Philips said: “Our aim is to give the riding community the app they deserve. One that makes riding more fun, safer, easier to manage and definitely more rewarding. We have built features that riders have asked for, such as: ride tracking (with photo and video capture), horse profiles, rider profiles, and horse/stable management.

“To capture your rides, you simply download the app, add your horse‘s name, put your phone back in your pocket and ride. The GPS in your phone then captures your location and speed, which is saved for you to keep and share it you want. You can see where you have been and keep this as a record for ever. You can also automatically add pictures and videos of your ride.”

An additional feature available on the app for £1.50 is a safety package.

Charlie Trietline said: “The safety feature ‘SafeRide’ uses motion sensors in the phone to detect when a rider falls and is not moving. It then alerts nominated contacts that an incident has occurred. The exact location is given with directions to the fallen rider. The second safety feature ‘LiveRide’ allows nominated people track a rider’s location in real time.

“The safety package is proving very popular, especially as it costs less than a cup of McDonalds coffee.”

Owners can appoint administrators and riders on the app to help with their horse’s management and allow them to see when their horse has been exercised. The app also has a group facility that allows riding schools and clubs to create a collaborative area to share news and events.

Huufe, which generates revenue through commission on sales made at retailer websites, is free to download and available on Apple and android devices.

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A pony has been used for the first time in a survey by UK archaeologists to unearth a medieval site.

Experts had identified a diamond shaped feature in a field at East Boldre in the New Forest and wanted to investigate further.

The site thought to be that of a medieval hunting lodge had originally been spotted using Lidar, an airborne laser scanning technique.

Such surveys are usually carried out by a magnetometry cart pulled by a vehicle, but due to the sensitivity of the site a pony was considered less intrusive.

The New Forest National Park Authority and Bournmouth University called on the services of Jerry, a pony lent by the New Forest Driving Society.

“This innovative approach to surveying is meant to overcome some of the issues we have to juggle when surveying archaeology in the fragile habitats of the National Park,” said Lawrence Shaw, New Forest National Park Authority archaeological officer

“By utilising traditional Forest skills and knowledge such as pony driving and the latest research from the university, we can look to improve our knowledge and understanding of the Forest’s rich heritage without impacting on the land itself,” he added.

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Dr Derek Pitman of Bournemouth University said “the ability to combine pony power and cutting edge geophysical survey allowed us to far better understand the New Forest’s rich cultural history than ever before.”

The survey is the result of a partnership between the National Park Authority and Bournemouth University to improve understanding of usual lumps and bumps through the LocATE (Local Archaeologicial Training and Equipment) project.

Geogphysical equipment has been provided to local interest groups within the New Forest to help undertake detailed surveys of buried archaeological sites. Within the New Forest, the scheme has helped map Neolithic long barrows, Iron Age hill forts and Roman pottery kiln sites.

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A new facility for services and information on “end of life decision making” has been piloted in Scotland.

The Equine End of Life Service, created by the National Fallen Stock Company, a not-for-profit organisation, is a website offering information on different options for euthanasia, removal and disposal.

National Fallen Stock Company chairman Michael Seals said: “End of life decision-making for any horse owner is emotional and challenging, and we hope that our simple and straightforward information service and facility will help.

“Our intention is to provide a smooth, sympathetic and stress-free service to horse owners and their vets at a most difficult and stressful time. The staff in the office are horse owners and understand the sensitivity. We’re very conscious of the fact its not like dealing with farm animals, and there is a very strong tie to these pets.

“Our strap line is ‘Respectful to the end’ because that’s what we strongly believe in – we want to give owners, horses, and everyone involved respect. It gives a more human approach to it rather then a clinical collection and disposal of an animal”.

The service offers access to “experience, skilled and sympathetic” euthanasia and collection professionals by using a network of independent, licensed collectors that the company works with.

“They abide to the highest welfare standards, and biosecurity levels are strictly upheld at all times. The website platform also acts as a postcode-based quote generating service, with staff helping with the logistics and payment for the chosen service,” said a spokesman for the National Fallen Stock Company.

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Charities are “fully behind” the service including the British Horse Society, Blue Cross, The Horse Trust, World Horse Welfare and the Donkey Sanctuary.

Scotland’s chief veterinary officer, Sheila Voas, said the concept and website are “really good” and she is “delighted” the pilot is running in Scotland.

The company aims to roll out the service to the resk of the UK in summer. Further information can be found at www.equine-endoflife.co.uk.

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