World Horse Welfare Launches Legacy Awareness Week

A young Joy Davies World Horse Welfare, Britain’s largest horse rescue and rehoming charity which also works internationally in ten developing countries, launches its Legacy Awareness Week today. Running from 15th to 19th September, the charity will share with the public the personal stories of those who have left gifts in their Wills to better horse welfare. World Horse Welfare, which relies entirely on voluntary donations, receives 60% of its income from ‘gifts in Wills’ – when a supporter leaves either direct funds or specific possessions of value to the charity in their Will to continue to help horses long after they have gone. One long-time supporter, Joy Davies, from Cheshire, who sadly passed away just recently at the age of 96, reminds us of Ada Cole, the charity’s founder who dedicated her life to improving the welfare of horses in the UK and around the world. Joy’s only daughter, Pam Strong, says: “World Horse Welfare was the only charity in Joy’s Will as we’ve campaigned for horse welfare all our lives. I believe Joy accosted a man in the 1930s for beating a horse who was pulling a cart - she unhitched the poor animal and walked him back to the stables where she had her horse, to take care of him. When a policeman was dragged into the affray, Joy gathered every man in the stable yard and they all demanded the arrest of the bully for cruelty. It’s so long ago, Joy had forgotten the long term outcome, but the incident was typical of her. Horses came first. She was a real character!” Joy’s love affair with horses began when she was a very young child – back in the day she used to play with her aunt’s Shetland pony. The Shetland used to pull the cart which transported her aunt to see her friends. Joy quickly progressed to riding Nimbo [pictured] back from ploughing on her aunt and uncle’s farm. And she soon owned her own chestnut Anglo Arab mare, Sorrell, for some years before and during the war, whom Pam inadvertently rode when Joy was six months pregnant. A supporter since 1994, Joy never bought Christmas cards from anywhere else other than from International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), now World Horse Welfare, and still has a huge stack of ILPH cards sitting in a box in her wardrobe. Pam says that the two of them were always passionate about horses and tells how, from just 18 months old, her love for horses began. She says: “Before I could walk, I escaped from the house we lived in, crawled out into the road and climbed up the leg of a bad tempered pony who was pulling the cart for the rag and bone man. Shortly after the war there was poverty everywhere and we were no different, these people used to go round with this sad looking pony pulling a cart collecting rubbish, I guess you could say it was early recycling. We used to call the man ‘the rag and bone man’. This pony was probably not well treated and used to nip anyone that tried to stroke him. On that day, when I escaped from the house, I happily climbed up this pony’s leg – much to the adult’s dismay – and refused to come down until I was promised a pony ride. From then on I got regular rides on miniscule little ponies.” Joy and Pam used to gather as much information as they could about World Horse Welfare, then known as the ILPH, so they could spread the word about what good work the charity did. Pam says: “Joy used to work in an office so she could type up lots of information about the charity. She then used this literature to tell people how badly horses were treated. In those days we used to talk about equine abuse being on the continent, but we soon realised it was all around us. Joy was passionate about horses and the cruelty they sometimes endured and she would always leap in without thinking because she cared so much about horses, even before people. Her good work often paid off.” World Horse Welfare was Joy’s sole chosen charity and when the day came at her funeral, Pam made sure that donations made at the church were given to World Horse Welfare in memory of her cherished mother. “Joy rated horses far above humans. Her continued modest support, and passion, never died – and it doesn’t with me. Joy’s last donation to the charity has been sent since the funeral along with £120 raised from donations on the day. I have written to everyone who attended Joy’s funeral to explain where their donations have gone. I also wrote to explain what happens to horses travelling long distances across Europe for slaughter – one of World Horse Welfare’s campaigns that Joy always supported – so that I can continue to spread the word about the charity’s good work. All those who I wrote to will now know how to contact World Horse Welfare and where to go to find out more information. “I would absolutely encourage others to leave a legacy to World Horse Welfare, just as I have now pledged to do. If you don’t have the money to donate regularly then this is something that you can do to help horses without commitment right now. It also means that even if you can’t ride anymore or don’t have the room for horses, you can still do good for them. In 1974, I broke my back and lost my horse at the same time. My riding days had ended. But that doesn’t mean it was the end of my life supporting horses – if you love them, you do what you can to spread the word about good welfare. My recent purchase from the charity was a cap that says World Horse Welfare on the front. It’s a great talking point and it’s surprising how many people want to know more once they see the logo.” Supporters can leave a gift in their Will, set up a tribute fund or sponsor a lasting tribute gift – like an ‘in memory’ tree, bench or even plant bulbs at one of the charity’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres across the UK. There’s lots of ways to remember your loved ones whilst helping horses worldwide. Find out more: www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Lasting-Gifts

More from

• IVC Evidensia assembles expert team to run new £10m referral hospital
• Home delivery service can increase pet health plan sign-ups by 25%
• Research reveals vital clues to help fight anthelmintic resistance
• Lifetime Achievement Award recognises Harrogate vet’s dedication to improving the health and welfare of rabbits
• Bake sale at Leicestershire vet practice for good cause