World Horse Welfare Raise £25,000 at Badminton Horse Trials

Charity expresses thanks to everyone who helped raise over £25,000 at the iconic event!

World Horse Welfare is delighted to announce that it raised more than £25,000 as Charity of the Year at the 2016 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

The event has been described as an overwhelming success. Thousands of visitors flocked to the World Horse Welfare trade stand and cross country marquee over the five days of the event. The response to World Horse Welfare’s two main ring displays was amazing. Countless children and adults alike enjoyed the Invisible Horse Trail sculptures, which were located around the trade stands and cross country course.

World Horse Welfare Chief Executive, Roly Owers, said:

“We are delighted to have been Badminton’s 2016 Charity of the Year. The event was a fantastic success in both raising funds and awareness of World Horse Welfare. As well giving us the opportunity to engage with thousands of supporters.

“Our Invisible Horse Trail created such a buzz throughout the five days. We are so grateful to all of the artists and sponsors who helped make this possible through their hard work and commitment.

Rehoming was a key focus of the event. Our ‘Rehoming Café’ drawing huge interest from those looking for a new horse or pony. Our main ring displays showed amazing talents our horses and ponies have to offer.

“We also had extraordinary support from so many of the riders competing at Badminton. The Cross Country Preview evening provided a fascinating insight to the course. Zara Tindall, Yogi Breisner, Harry Meade and Ian Stark attended to demonstrate, whilst Alex Hua Tian, Vittoria Panizzon, Mary and Emily King and many more all took part in helping to paint our ‘People’s Horse’ sculpture on the trade stand. The works of art will be auctioned later in the year along with the other 14 horse sculptures.

“There are so many people to thank for supporting World Horse Welfare in making the most of this outstanding opportunity. Hugh Thomas, Jane Tuckwell and the whole team at Badminton who have been so helpful throughout. We had a wonderful band of 250 volunteers who took part in a whole host of tasks from manning the Invisible Horse Trail sculptures to speaking to members of the public about our work and bucket collecting. Their enthusiasm and hard work was truly inspiring and I would like to express our sincere thanks to each and every one of them.”

To learn more, visit the World Horse Welfare website.