Horse rescue fund tops £50,000

Only a year since its inception, the Horse Rescue Fund has raised pledges and funds now totalling an impressive £50,000.

The fund aims to cover vets’ fees in cases where the emergency services cannot trace owners. It was set up in conjunction with the Emergency Services Protocol (ESP), an initiative started last year by H&H and the British Horse Society (BHS) to provide guidelines for all those involved with large animal rescue (news, 5 April).

In the past, lifesaving help was delayed while the emergency services sought an equine vet and gained the owner’s name and consent for treatment.

Now, 186 British Equine Veterinary Association-member practices across the UK are signed up to the ESP’s list. And with the fund’s back up, emergency services can call for veterinary help whether or not the owner has been traced.

To donate to the Horse Rescue Fund, send a cheque made out to Emergency Services Protocol Veterinary Fund (ESPVF) to BEVA, Mulberry House, 31 Market Street, Fordham, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 5LQ, (tel: 01638 723 555).

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (16 August, ’07)

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