An equine care home and therapy centre is desperately seeking new premises after the site it occupied for 12 years was sold for development.

Suffolk-based French’s Care Haven has been temporarily housed by supporters in Felixstowe but this land has been also earmarked for houses, leaving the centre in urgent need of a permanent home.

The charity, run by founder Jann Turner, cares for 17 rescued horses and donkeys, many of whom are elderly. It also provides equine therapy for a range of local organisations, including schoolchildren with behavioural problems, groups with learning difficulties and people suffering from eating disorders and anxiety.

“We put a lot of work into the farm we were at in Hadleigh but it was sold to some people in London who put planning permission in to develop it straight away,” said Jann. “We’d paid to re-roof buildings, for fencing and to put in ménages and we had plans to add extra facilities, so it was devastating to see it all go.”

She said work was due to start on the development at the current site and she is waiting to hear any day that the charity has eight weeks’ notice to leave.

Jann has been trying to find a minimum of 20 acres with outbuildings to rent anywhere in Suffolk but has so far been unsuccessful.

“We’re not asking anyone to give it to us, we’re happy to pay rent,” Jann said. “The number of doors I have knocked on is phenomenal but we just can’t find anything.

“Finding a farmer who has cut back on cattle and has some land and barns available would be the ideal scenario. We can always fundraise to repair buildings if they are dilapidated.”

She added that she “couldn’t even contemplate” what would happen if the charity couldn’t find a new home but that she “would never give up”.

“I have a love for the horses that I will take to my deathbed,” she said.

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Jann has 45 years’ experience working in the horse industry and has been an equine physiotherapist for 20 years. She more recently started opening up the care home for equine therapy after finding it was a “magnet” for people facing difficulties.

“The organisations started contacting me and asking if they could bring people up,” she said. “They help take care of the horses, groom them and pick out their feet. We also find little jobs for them to do around the yard — maybe cutting the grass or trimming bushes or repairing fencing. It’s a good environment for people to be, around the animals in the open air.

“We’ve helped people with drug and alcohol addiction, those who self-harm and schoolchildren, it’s so nice to hear from their parents that they don’t recognise them any more, they have changed so much since they have been coming to us.”

The horses at the care home are all rescues from various backgrounds — from former racehorses to ponies who had been “left tied to the fence at the end of the driveway”.

“We were just about to set up a petting and picnic area and I was thinking about starting lecture demos to help with funding before we had to move and I have had to put all that on hold,” Jann said. “We need to start planning for our future and it will be a huge relief if we can find somewhere.

“Hopefully if people are able to share that we are looking for somewhere, someone will come forwards.”

French’s Care Haven has set up a Gofundme page to support the costs of the relocation. Any ne who has a suitable property for rent can contact Jann on on 07747 755556 email jann.turner@hotmail.co.uk

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

A mare previously written off as “too quirky” has returned to the showjumping ring after a seven-month absence to win a newcomers class at Summerhouse Equestrian Centre.

The 10-year-old Mervs Thanks A Million II, an Irish-bred daughter of Flexible, was partnered to an unexpected victory earlier this month by Newbury-based Poppy Stronge.

“We’d basically given up on her because she was so difficult,” said Poppy, who bought the mare six years ago. “We couldn’t sell her, as goodness knows where she would have ended up, so we just put her in the field.”

Poppy then took inspiration from the method used by Australian showjumper Rowan Willis in managing his top ride, Blue Movie, who he describes as “tricky”.

“Rowan lunges Blue Movie between shows and doesn’t ride her or jump her at all at home, so we thought we’d give that a try,” said Poppy. “It seemed to be working, so I put her on the lorry and took her to the show. She was really hairy and unclipped, but she jumped brilliantly. I’ve clipped her so she doesn’t look so awful and we have another show soon. I’m now waiting to see if this was a fluke or Rowan’s method really works. If it doesn’t, we’ll probably breed from her, as she’s lovely on the ground and would give us a nice foal.”

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Despite the mare’s quirky nature, Poppy is a fan of mares generally.

“I do seem to get on well with them,” said 23-year-old Poppy, who runs the family’s sport horse livery and sales business.

“Dad’s always off racing and Mum seems to be a permanent babysitter for my brother Sam’s [a former jockey and now a racehorse trainer] son, so I’m doing all the riding and grooming at home at the moment. I love it,” she said.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

The organisers of the first “world bitless horse day” hope to raise awareness and “give all riders the opportunity to think about going bitless”.

The World Bitless Association (WBA), which was formed last November, says it hopes events, including trail rides, competitions and demonstrations, will be held across the world on 7 September.

Charity trustee Johanna Richardson, who also sits on the WBA board of directors, told H&H the organisation aims to “help facilitate and promote more humane methods of horse training and to promote equality in competition for modern bitless bridles”.

“We hope the day will allow bitless riders to network, and also for bitted riders who might want to explore going bitless, or who want to switch,” she said.

“All sorts of things will be happening. No one’s registered yet as registration hasn’t opened but it’s going to be global; we’ve had interest from Brazil.”

Ms Richardson said the organisation will provide support packs and relevant advice, for individuals, organisations or event organisers who want to run events or training.

She added that the main aims of the WBA are to represent bitless riders and raise awareness of welfare in riding and training.

“It’s not just saying ‘remove the bit and put a bitless bridle on’, it’s about the whole way horses are ridden, and how all of us can improve in everything we do,” she said. “Everyone can make changes and bitted or bitless, we represent everyone on that angle.”

The final WBA aim is to “fight for rule changes” to allow riders to compete bitless and “on a level playing field” with those who use bits in all disciplines.

But Ms Richardson stressed that the charity is not anti-bitting.

“We’re not against them; we just want to bring about opportunities for personal choice,” she said. “It depends on what the rider needs from the horse and how the horse reacts to the bridle it’s in.

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“It all comes down to quality of riding; an independent seat and hands. We’re not anti bits, we’re pro choice.”

Anyone interested in taking part in events on the world bitless day can contact the WBA on its website.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

A pony rehomed from World Horse Welfare has helped his new loan home owner get through difficult life challenges.

Mekleth Wicca Warrior (‘Warrior’) came into the charity’s Glenda Spooner Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk in 2013.

The 13.1hh grey gelding was among a group of horses whose owner could no longer care for them.

All were living in poor conditions and one was very underweight.

Warrior had had little handling in his life and it took the team at the centre some time to build up his trust.

In December 2013 Sue Drew rehomed the pony after she had lost her horse, which had died suddenly.

“2013 was a terrible year,” recalls Mrs Drew. “In May I lost my precious horse after 35 wonderful years together. Four months later I lost my mum. I was devastated and felt completely bereft.”

“I knew Warrior had issues, he was nervous, could never be ridden and might not stable easily, but I had issues too and thought maybe we could work things through together. So just, before Christmas Warrior came to live with us,” she added.

The pony made steady progress and helped Mrs Drew over her loss.

“However, his work was yet done,” she admitted, “for in December 2014, completely out of the blue, a routine test revealed I had bowel cancer.

“Most of 2015 was taken up with surgery and a difficult regime of chemotherapy but Warrior was always there when I needed quiet reassurance and with his help I got through it.

“We’ve both survived bad times and put them behind us. We have that bond.”

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This year 286 horses and ponies have found loving new homes under World Horse Welfare’s rehoming scheme.

But the charity still has 97 equines still looking for homes.

“Rehoming remains as important as ever with a wide range of horses and ponies in the charity’s care ready to find new homes where they can reach their full potential and free up space to help World Horse Welfare reach more in need of help,” said Sam Chubbock, WHW’s head of UK support.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Owners must “be better at letting horses be horses” for the sake of their welfare, the chief executive of World Horse Welfare has warned.

Roly Owers addressed a packed hall in London yesterday (31 October) at the charity’s annual conference, the theme of which was “Changing Times”.

“The passage of time always brings change, but I think few would disagree that we’re in a period of unprecedented, relentless and accelerated change across the world,” Mr Owers said.

“Seismic shifts in geopolitics, the rise of digital technology, democratisation, inequality, climate change and the reshaping of values; we ride the waves of these tumultuous times and navigate an ocean where it may seem the very foundations of our traditional assumptions are melting away.”

Mr Owers mentioned Brexit and the essential working together between different organisations on major issues from equine identification law in England to the donkey skin trade in China, adding: “We can and do achieve so much working together.”

He also cited a “growing minority” of people who “see horses almost as people”, adding: “While others expect to see them left alone with nature. We take the view that both these approaches carry grave risks for equine welfare.

“The public rightly expects the welfare of all horses used in riding, sport and racing to be paramount. We couldn’t agree more.

“But some now believe that using horses in sport is inherently exploitative and cruel, not least because they put the horse at risk of injury and fatality.”

Mr Owers said all risks in horse sport do need to be minimised, and fatalities reduced, and cited World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA’s work with the British Horseracing Authority. But he said the key message is that no equestrian sport or activity is without risks, so all horse sports need a “social licence” to operate, with transparency, accountability and “adherence to the ethics of wider society at its heart”.

Mr Owers mentioned a recent parliamentary petition and debate calling for an independent body to regulate horse welfare in racing, which attracted more than 100,000 signatures, as “a clear sign that the public expects much more than business as usual”.

“Then there are those who pamper their animals, over-feed them treats, keep them in stables all day and pile rugs on them all year,” he said.

“The rise of conditions like EMS, laminitis, obesity, gastric ulcers and behavioural stereotypies are the tragic health and welfare consequences. We’ve talked about it so much before but we have to be better at letting horses be horses.

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“That’s not to say we can’t have fun with or fuss over our horses, as long as we keep their health and welfare at the centre of our thinking; and that thinking has to be grounded as far as possible in the facts.

“For example, recently more than 200,000 people signed a petition to ban pony-painting parties. Really?

“While I appreciate this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, we have to keep a focus on the genuine welfare problems.”

For a full report from the conference, don’t miss next week’s edition of horse & Hound magazine, out 8 November.

Riders are being urged to sign a government petition campaigning for laws to protect horses being ridden on the roads.

The petition, set up by Debbie Smith from Cornwall who created the Facebook group Pass Wide and Slow, has until 2 November to reach the required 100,000 signatures in order for it to be considered for debate at parliament.

Debbie told H&H: “The roads are getting worse and drivers are getting more impatient – they see us as a nuisance. Generally there’s got to have been an accident happen before we can take any action which seems crazy. If a horse is left dying on the road nothing is done, unless a rider has been hurt and taken to hospital.

“We want the petition to bring in laws to protect horses being ridden on the roads and I hope we can get it into parliament. Personally I want to see a change in the Highway Code so it becomes law to abide by a rider’s stop and slow down signals — I think that is one of the most important laws we should have. If we can have the power to ask a car to stop or slow dow it’s going to stop a lot of accidents.”

Debbie, who hacks out with her daughter around five times a week, successfully got a similar petition to parliament two years ago.

“It got discussed but at the time the transport minister wasn’t very compliant with what we wanted and so I decided to start another petition this year,” she said.

“Our aim is to keep getting attention, keep going to parliament and keep getting it discussed and hopefully at some point they’ll realise we’re not just going to go away. That’s all you can do, keep drumming away.”

The petition currently has 13,969 signatures.

“It’s a short time limit on getting those remaining signatures so we need a lot more in the next couple of weeks,” said Debbie.

“There’s so many people that ride out on the roads, we need them to read it and sign it – not think ‘I’ll do it later’ and forget. We all ride out on the roads and we all want safe riding.”

Debbie said she wants riders to keep reporting incidents on the roads to the police.

“As part of the Pass Wide and Slow Facebook group we want to encourage riders to wear cameras because we have to get that evidence and send it in to the police, it’s the only way they’ll take action. If we don’t do anything we’ll be seen as unimportant. We have to make it an important issue and keep on at them.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

This week four leading jockeys headed down to the Surrey yard of Pippa and William Funnell for a showjumping bootcamp — some, perhaps, with a certain amount of trepidation as they stepped way out of their usual comfort zone on the racetrack.

The intrepid quartet of Bridget Andrews, Lizzie Kelly, Hollie Doyle and Josephine Gordon are taking a crash course over the coloured poles ahead of the annual Markel Champions Challenge in aid of the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Bridget Andrews in action

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Bridget will be captaining the team of female jockeys, which will also include top National Hunt jockey Bryony Frost, and they will be pitted against the 20-time champion AP McCoy and his all-male team for Friday’s big “race night” in the International Arena at The London International Horse Show, Olympia (17-23 December).

Josephine Gordon is put through her paces

Under the tutelage of showjumping and eventing legends William and Pippa Funnell, the star-studded team of jockeys were put through their paces over the coloured fences and now have victory firmly in their sights.

“The training today with Pippa and William has been lots of fun,” said Bridget. “They’re heroes of mine and we couldn’t have asked for better coaches. I can’t wait for ‘race night’ — the atmosphere is going to be electric and I just hope we can make Pippa and William proud.”

Pippa Funnell said: “They’re obviously all incredibly talented in their own right and I’ve been impressed with how quickly they have adapted and improved throughout the day. The girls have mastered the technical side and we’ve almost managed to perfect their jump-off style, so I really fancy their chances against AP McCoy and the boys!”

Race night at Olympia is sure to be faster than a five furlong sprint at Epsom and always makes for great entertainment — and the box office is open so snap up your tickets now via www.olympiahorseshow.com or phone the box office 0844 995 0995

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

“We made a ton of mistakes,” the boss of Tryon has conceded, but he is “unbelievably proud” of what has been accomplished at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) venue.

Mark Bellissimo, of Tryon Equestrian Partners, spoke to reporters at WEG on Saturday (22 September).

He spoke of the challenges faced by the venue, which had had less than two years to prepare for the Games, having stepped in when original hosts Bromont, Canada, pulled out.

“I’m so very proud of all the things that have happened in the last two weeks with the exception of the things we started on [early problems such as with grooms’ accommodation] I take responsibility for, I made mistakes along the way,” he said.

“If that’s what’s remembered about this WEG then shame on me, shame on all of us, as I think what we’ve seen is probably some of the best sport WEGs have had.

“All the people who said this would never be done: they were wrong. What’s most important to me is that we’ve stepped up in difficult circumstances and did our best. It wasn’t perfect but perfect is the enemy of the good. We accept the fact we’re human and we make mistakes but in the end they’ll hopefully become afterthoughts.”

Mr Bellissimo said WEG is a “very tough” event that “has to be restructured”, suggesting that in future it could be shared between two or three venues running the Games on a cycle, and that he would not decide on whether or not to run the event again until he had talked to his team.

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“We made a ton of mistakes,” he said. “Great organisations take those mistakes and learn. If we ran it again, would it be unbelievable? Absolutely.”

The FEI has said there have been no bids to run the 2022 Games yet, but there has been interest from various countries, and that the organisation is to review the event’s cost-effectiveness, sustainability and format.

Horse & Hound had two journalists and a photographer in Tryon for WEG. Keep up to date with all the news on horseandhound.co.uk and in the magazine issues dated 20 and 27 September.

In The Middle Are The Horsemen is a book newly written by Tik Maynard, where the international athlete and equestrian bares his soul to the world. It is a must-read for all those involved with horses. The ups and downs of his career with horses rings true, particularly if you are trying to make it in the horse world.

In 2008, 26-year-old Tik, who was a university graduate and modern pentathlete, faced a crossroads. He suffered both a career-ending injury and a painful break-up. The Canadian decided spend the next year as a working student.

Over time, Tik evolved under the watchful eyes of world-renowned figures in the horse world, including Ingrid Klimke, David and Karen O’Connor, Anne Kursinski, Johann Hinnemann, Bruce Loagn and Ian Millar. He was ignored, degraded, encouraged and praised. He was hired and fired, told he had the “wrong body type to ride” and that he had found his “destiny”. He got married to US eventing team member Sinead Halpin and lost loved ones. Through it all, the book’s blurb describes, he studied the horse and human nature, and how the two can find balance. And in that journey he may have found himself.

Taken from an extract in the book, here Tik recounts his time as a working student at Johann Hinnemann’s German dressage yard:

“Around the time I started my twentieth stall, Hinnemann wandered out, dressed in a dark suit with creases like knives. I watched his polished black leather shoes make their way through the courtyard to his Audi. I watched them step into the freshly vacuumed interior. I had been up already for almost two hours, but my arms and shoulders were used to the work by now, and I felt fresh. This will be every day and every week, I told myself: stay positive. This will be the day when you finally start getting more help. I still craved the feeling that this was all for something. I wanted a lesson. I wanted to learn so badly my brain itched.

“Sure, a part of me realised I was getting better, and though time has given me other perspectives, I felt like I was getting better despite Hinnemann, not because of him.

“‘Good morning,” I called neutrally.

“Hinnemann looked at me. We made eye contact. And then he turned his back to me and lowered himself into his new car. As he shut the door, I thought I heard a reluctant ‘Morgen’, but perhaps not. As his car wound along the tree-lined drive out to the road, I stood in the doorway of the barn, pitchfork in one hand, staring after him.

“The afternoon passed quietly, but monotonously, as did the following morning. It wasn’t until Monday afternoon that my suspicious that something was up were confirmed. Herr Hinnemann, his secretary, and his head rider were meeting in the glass-fronted office that overlooked the indoor. I was riding a young horse so I was taking plenty of walk breaks. I could see them as they talked earnestly, studiously avoiding looking into the indoor arena where I circled below. Only Hinnemann glanced my way a couple times.

“That evening while I was untacking my last horse, Julia marched in her efficient step down the aisle. She paused and looked at me. She looked so warm and clean. I felt like a ground-beholden soldier that see a pilot wrapped in fur walking to his plane. Her head held high, Julia, it seemed, flew in the sky above the sludge and muck of normal barn life.

“‘Tik, please come to the office when all the work in the barn is done.’”

“‘Of course,’ I said quietly. I made myself meet her eyes.

“For the last three weeks my motivation to sweep, muck, clean tack, and clip horses had been waning.

“You’re not here as a volunteer, I told myself. You’re here to learn, and in exchange, to perform physical labour.

“Shhh. I said to myself. Stop whining. Be patient.

“And then, No! Stand up for yourself.

“To muzzle the voices in my head, I concentrated on finishing with the horse, then cleaning the saddles and bridles, then sweeping.

“Back in my room I gathered my thoughts, and quickly prepared myself for the discussion I expected by making some notes. I took my notebook with me.

“In the office Julia sat at a desk, her hand around a steaming mug. Steffi stood, her arms crossed, not looking at me. Hinnemann was not there.

“The whole meeting lasted less time than it took me to clean a stall, and with me talking just about as much. There was no preamble — Julia just jumped right in.

“‘You aren’t good enough to be here,’ she said unemotionally. ‘And you aren’t improving.’

“I looked at Steffi, who briefly made eye contact but remained silent. I waited.

“‘This is a professional stable,’ Julia continued. And then just to make her point clear she added: ‘We can’t leave you alone on a horse for five minutes.’

“I said nothing. I felt myself turn inward and get in my own head, a weakness that admittedly often came far too close to self-pity for my liking. The only advantage, if I could call it that, was it meant a lot of potential arguments were avoided. I sat and looked at her, and kept my hands in my pockets, my notebook full of observations remaining closed on my lap. As Julia talked on, I studied her closely. There was a certain light in her eyes. She was beautiful, like a bird. A falcon maybe… or a hawk. Her mouth was still moving. Her lips glistened, and I wondered if she was wearing lipstick.

“‘Did you hear me?’ she demanded to know.

“I nodded.

“Then she said, ‘It would be better if you left’.

“I nodded again.

“She then offered me the chance to work until the end of the week.

“‘No,’ I said, speaking for the first time. ‘I’ll leave tonight.’

Price: £19.95 paperback, or from 10.46 on Amazon
Published by: Quiller Publishing, 2018

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine out every Thursday

Vets have welcomed a government decision to relax restrictions on sales of an “essential” equestrian painkiller – but say they do not understand why they were not consulted about the move.

On 26 July, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), which is part of Defra, suspended the sale of all injectable forms of flunixin, “without warning”, according to the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).

BEVA said it was “perplexed” by the move, without prior consultation with vets, as flunixin is the most commonly used painkiller for horses undergoing surgery and those suffering with colic and other conditions.

The VMD has now relaxed the restrictions by allowing the release of stock from manufacturers, and says it will let vets know when the drug is available to order.

“It remains a concern to BEVA that this mechanism was not put in place before the suspension of flunixin was imposed,” said association president Jon Pycock.

“Contrary to assertions by the VMD, wholesalers were unable to meet the demands of the veterinary profession and clinical use of this medicine was disrupted within 24 hours of the VMD’s initial announcement. We are surprised by the regulator’s lack of awareness of availability in the supply chain and question why there was no consultation with the veterinary sector before the suspension was enacted.

“The VMD has been aware of this issue since March 2018 and it appears no contingency was put in place to consider the animal welfare impact of this decision until it was too late.”

Vice-president and equine surgery specialist Tim Mair added that flunixin is a “unique” product in managing pain and sepsis in horses.

“The VMD appeared to believe that this medicine could be substituted for other veterinary medicines and this is simply not the case,” he said. “The release of stock from manufacturers is a short-term solution and, looking forward, we would like assurances that the VMD will fast-track applications for the modification of product licenses to ensure that equine vets have continued access to these products.”

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The VMD said it stated when the restrictions were announced that it was “investigating potential ways to maintain the availability of injectable flunixin for use in non-food producing horses”.

A spokesman added: “The VMD is actively working with marketing authorisation holders to allow them to release further currently labelled flunixin product on to the market for non-food horses only, provided it is accompanied by a ‘caution in use’ letter (to be approved by the VMD) which outlines the conditions of use and restricts supply to non-food horses.

“We will inform vets when flunixin product is available to order.”

BEVA reminded all equine vets that horses’ food chain status must be checked when flunixin is used, either by checking passports or chips, on the Central Equine Database website.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.