The Horse Trust Celebrates Being The 2011 Official Show Charity At Olympia, The London International Horse Show

27 June 2011: Equine welfare charity The Horse Trust is delighted to have been chosen to be the official show charity at the 2011 London International Horse Show at Olympia, which runs from 13 to 19 December 2011. Edwina Alexander AUS riding Cevo Socrates winners of the H&M Ivy Stakes at Olympia 2010. Photo credit Olympia/Kit Houghton "We are thrilled to have been selected by Olympia as their official charity this year -it's the best present we could have wished for to celebrate our 125th anniversary," said Jeanette Allen, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust. "We hope to raise much-needed funds, which will be put towards the work we do with retired working horses, ponies and donkeys and equines that have been rescued, neglected or abandoned." The Horse Trust, established in 1886, is the oldest horse charity in the world. The charity runs the Home of Rest for Horses in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, where it cares for over 90 horses, ponies and donkeys. The sanctuary's residents come from many different backgrounds, and include:

• Thames Valley Police horse Titan, an 18.3hh Shire-cross and the largest police horse in the UK, is currently at The Horse Trust for respite because he suffers from intermittent lameness caused by ringbone
• Topsy, a 14.3 hh skewbald mare, who retired to The Horse Trust this year after 19 years service to a Riding for the Disabled Association in Oxfordshire
• Shetland pony Piglet, who was found abandoned, suffering from various problems including an infected eye, severe malnutrition, high worm burden and overgrown feet. Staff at The Horse Trust nurtured him back to health and he is now leading a happy life at the sanctuary.

The Horse Trust also funds equine research and runs training programmes to disseminate best practice in equine welfare. The London International Horse Show at Olympia is one of the most important events in the equine calendar. It is a festive extravaganza featuring top class show jumping, dressage and entertainment. The show runs from 13 to 19 December 2011. The Horse Trust will receive 50p from every ticket sold for the afternoon performance on Thursday 15th December. The afternoon will be an action-packed session with highlights including the Christmas Finale and the Horse Deals Christmas Pudding Speed Stake. The Horse Trust will also run the Shopping Drop-Off Point throughout the Olympia Horse Show, where shoppers can ease the load and leave any items of shopping so that they can enjoy the performance in comfort. A donation will be made per item and all money will go to The Horse Trust. Shoppers can also learn more about the great work The Horse Trust do. To book tickets for the Thursday afternoon show, go to www.olympiahorseshow.com or contact the box office on 0871 230 5580. Tickets prices start at £30.00. The Horse Trust hopes to recruit a number of volunteers that can travel to Olympia to help out at the show. To find out more information about volunteering at Olympia, contact The Horse Trust on 01494 488464 or [email protected] Over the coming months, The Horse Trust will be running a number of competitions where people can win tickets to Olympia. Keep an eye on The Horse Trust's website (www.horsetrust.org.uk) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/horsetrust) for more information.

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