Princess Royal helps celebrate 140 years of Buckinghamshire horse welfare service
Princess Anne was guest of honour at celebrations to mark the 140th anniversary of The Horse Trust.
As patron of The Horse Trust, The Princess Royal joined members of the British Army at a special reception at Hyde Park Barracks.
The occasion celebrated a longstanding commitment to supporting working horses, from those still in service and retired horses who call The Horse Trust sanctuary home. It also marked an new chapter in he Trust’s partnership with the British Army, helping to shape a brighter future for service horse welfare.
The reception celebrated the charity’s long history of supporting London’s working horses and the many partnerships helping it continue this work today. Guests had the opportunity
to meet horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and learn more about the relationship between The Horse Trust and the British Army, including the development of its
new Respite Programme, which brings the charity back to its founding mission of 1886.
The anniversary comes as The Horse Trust and the British Army continue to develop their partnership to enhance the welfare of military working horses.
Following the incident involving Household Cavalry horses in London in April 2024, the two organisations have worked together to explore how additional respite care could support horse
welfare and help reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.
Following a successful trial, serving horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery are now able to spend time at The Horse Trust on a
rotational basis, enjoying a change of environment with time in the Trust’s pastures.
The Horse Trust welcomed seven newly retired Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment horses to its sanctuary this September.
Jeanette Allen, Chief Executive Officer of The Horse Trust, said: “We were delighted to celebrate The Horse Trust’s 140th anniversary with our Patron The Princess Royal, alongside our partners in the British Army and the many supporters who make our work possible. It was a valuable opportunity to showcase the lives of these horses while they are still working, and to demonstrate how respite can enhance their welfare long before they reach retirement. Our partnership also brings us back to our founding mission in 1886, when The Horse Trust was established to provide respite for London’s working cab horses. It’s wonderful to see this principle being revived for a new generation of service horses, helping us to enhance their wellbeing both during and after their working lives.”
The Respite Progamme brings The Horse Trust full circle, returning to the mission for which the charity was founded in 1886: providing respite for London’s working cab horses by
giving them vital rest, treatment and care while loaning out healthy horses so that working people could continue to earn a living. The project continues this legacy, enhancing the lives
of London’s working horses by giving them more time turned out at grass.
The expansion of this work has been made possible in part by the success of The Horse Trust’s Home for More Horses project, which raised £90,000. This investment has enabled
the charity to increase its capacity while continuing to care for the retired and rescued horses who depend on it.