Witney News - College students raise money for The Horse Trust

College students raise money for The Horse Trust

Buckinghamshire charity The Horse Trust was presented with a cheque for £806 by horse management students from an Oxfordshire further education college on Tuesday.

The eight students, who are in their second year of a BTEC National Diploma in Horse Management at Abingdon and Witney College, ran a show jumping and dressage event in May as part of the event management unit of their course. The event, a Cricklands qualifier for riders aged 14 to adult, was held at their college campus at Common Leys Farm, Witney.

The students - Melissa Edmunds, Debra Juler, Catherine Lynch, Jake Wighton, Nicky Worth, Leanne Smith, Rebecca Callaghan and Vicky Greenaway - raised money for The Horse Trust by selling sponsorship to local companies. They also raised awareness of the charity's work through leaflets and displays.

The students presented the cheque to Lorna Weight, a member of staff at The Horse Trust, and were then taken on a tour of the sanctuary during which they met Janus, an ex-Household Cavalry drum horse who is one of the most popular horses at the sanctuary.

Annie Bishop, Equine Lecturer at Abingdon and Witney College said: "I am very proud of the students' achievement. Their aim was to raise more money than last year's event, and they did – they doubled it! The students and I really enjoyed the trip to The Horse Trust and they are very happy they chose The Horse Trust as their charity.”

Paul Jepson, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust, said: "We are delighted that the students from Abingdon and Witney College organised this event to raise money for The Horse Trust. The funds they have raised will make a difference to the welfare of horses across the UK."

The BTEC National Diploma in Horse Management is a two year course that gives students the skills to pursue a variety of careers in the equine industry. Some of the students who organised the course plan to continue their studies with Foundation Degree in Equine Science & Management and hope to pursue careers in a variety of areas including the Mounted Police force and teaching.

Abingdon and Witney College has a purpose built equine unit at its Common Leys Farm Campus, where students have access to a wide range of riding horses and have the opportunity to handle foals, young stock and brood mares.

The Horse Trust has temporarily closed the doors of its sanctuary to new horses due to a drop in public donations during the credit crunch. The charity is making an urgent appeal for donations to allow it to re-open its doors to needy cases. Just £5 would enable the charity to feed a small horse for a week, while £17 would pay for all the costs of looking after a horse for a day, including feed, veterinary bills and farrier costs. To donate to the charity visit http://www.horsetrust.org.uk