War Horse Cast Raises Thousands to Help Equine Charities cope with spiraling costs

Actors and puppeteers in the West End smash hit production of War Horse have raised more than seven thousand pounds to help care for neglected and abused horses in the recession.

The money has been split equally between two of the UK’s leading equine charities. World Horse Welfare and The Horse Trust, have each received over £3,700. World Horse Welfare runs the largest re-homing scheme for rescued horses in the UK, while The Horse Trust is the oldest equine charity in the UK, caring for retired working horses, ponies and donkeys.

The financial situation and high hay and feed prices caused by the weather have taken their toll on the UK’s equine population. In the first nine months of this year World Horse Welfare saw the number of horses coming into its care rise by 50 per cent. The Horse Trust has seen a five-fold increase in calls to its equine welfare helpline from cash-strapped horse owners desperate to rehome or retire their horse.

War Horse, which is currently playing to packed houses at The New London Theatre, is based on the celebrated novel by Michael Morpurgo. A Broadway production will open in March next year and the London production is currently booking until February 2012. It uses life-sized puppets to depict the story of a young boy and his horse against a backdrop of the First World War, in which many thousands of horses died. Audiences attending eight performances of the award-winning play in November were asked to donate.

Puppeteer Ruth Rogers, who plays the head of the horse, Joey, explained why she had come up with the fundraising idea; “Because of the recession, many horse owners are struggling to look after their horses, and thousands of healthy animals are in danger of being put to sleep, or abandoned to fend for themselves. With winter upon us, the situation is only going to get worse. We think it’s heart-breaking that such loyal, gentle beasts are being forced to lose their lives because of a man-made problem.“

World Horse Welfare Chief Executive Roly Owers said: “We are immensely grateful to Ruth and the cast of War Horse for this wonderful idea, and to the audiences who have donated so generously. This money will be extremely welcome as we take up the challenge of rehabilitating and re-homing growing numbers of horses in this difficult financial climate. ”

Jeanette Allen, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to the cast of War Horse for their fundraising efforts, and to the audience members who have dug so deep. The money raised will help us to continue our vital work with rescue cases and retired working horses, and we hope the cast will visit us soon to see the impact their fundraising efforts will make.”

The Horse Trust, established in 1886 and formerly known as the Home of Rest for Horses, provided the first motorised horse ambulance to transport wounded horses in France from the front line during the First World War. During the war, this ambulance travelled around 13,000 miles and carried in excess of 1,000 injured horses.

The Home of Rest for Horses ambulance, which was the first of its kind worldwide, was so successful that the War Office commissioned additional horse ambulances. By the end of the war, 14 of these vehicles were in operation in France.

The Horse Trust has a long history of providing lifetime sanctuary to retired army horses. The first war veteran, San Toy, retired to The Home in 1919 after serving in both the Boer and First World War. He spent a happy retirement in The Home until his death in 1923.

World Horse Welfare was set up in 1927 by Ada Cole, to campaign against the live export of horse from the UK to slaughter abroad. The charity, known then as the International League Against the Export of Horses for Butchery, would have been formed earlier but its creation was delayed by the onset of World War One, which saw many thousands of British horses sent to the front line.

World Horse Welfare now cares for about 330 horses and ponies at its four UK recovery and re-homing centres, and in addition has more than 1,500 out on loan.