# **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** **6[th] April 2022 - 5[th] April 2023** www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 1 ## **CONTENTS** Charity Information Page 2 Trustees’ Report Page 3 Income and Expenditure Page 9 ## **CHARITY INFORMATION** **TRUSTEES:** Alison Stratford - Chair Rebecca Speed Tracey Stone Kirsty Mackie **BANKERS:** National Westminster 5 High Street Bracknell RG12 1DH **ACCOUNTANTS:** Boyett Mayes Ltd. The Stables Moneys Farm Bottle Lane Mattingley Hampshire RG27 8LJ ## **CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER:** 1172769 **SAFE POSTAL ADDRESS:** PO Box 4330 Crowthorne Berkshire RG42 9WW www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 2 ## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 5[TH] APRIL 2023** The trustees submit their annual report and the financial statements for the year ending 5[th] April 2023. ## **The History of SAFE:** SAFE (Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines) was founded by Alison Stratford in 2014, following the rescue of 26 abandoned and neglected horses from a field in Binfield, Berkshire. Sadly, a number of horses had to be euthanized on the spot due to their ill health being beyond any chance of survival. The rescued horses were subsequently rehabilitated to good health and rehomed. SAFE has since continued to help abandoned and fly-grazed horses to become a well known small charity with a great reputation. ## **Objectives & Activities** : SAFE exists to support and offer guidance to landowners, to legally rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abandoned, neglected fly-grazed horses & ponies. Keeping them SAFE. Our mission and the fundamental objective of our Charity is the 3 R’s > “Rescue, Rehabilitate and Rehome”. This applies to every abandoned horse and pony that we are made aware of, as well as to support other organisations who cannot help. SAFE offers a lifetime security to every equine in its care, this makes certain they will never experience neglect again. As a charity we also offer support in the below areas: - Work with the Police, RSPCA, local authorities, equine bailiffs, and members of the public to rescue abandoned, neglected, and abused horses. - Advance the education of members of the public, in the proper care and treatment of their equines and support them with this care. - Help to fight the ever-increasing rise in cruelty to animals and continue to work with other similar minded organisations, to ensure any neglected equines receive the care and medical treatment they sadly so often desperately need. - Advise and communicate steering groups and political panels to improve the laws around horse welfare. - Remain a leading and recognised local charity, which provides all rescued horses a secure and bright future. ## **Structure, Management, and Governance Arrangements:** Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines is a charity formed in April 2017 (started as a rescue in 2014), is a CIO and is governed by Trustees. The Charity registration number, names of trustees and other information are detailed on page 2 of this report. All Trustees remain in office for a defined term until they resign, retire, or are removed. They can be replaced during a general meeting. The individual responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity is Alison Stratford. As a charity, we ensure that we work collaboratively with other equine and animal welfare organisations, local authorities, Police, veterinarians and rescues, all working towards the same objectives, with a focus on animal welfare. The Trustees feel that, as always, the main risk to the charity is funding. The economic instability of the country has a knock on effect where all charities are in competition for donations and grants. We are reliant on our supporters and realise that charitable donations could be the first thing to cut back on, when having to budget. www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 3 ## **Achievements and Performance** As a small charity, we have worked to ensure we are establishing a professional yet discreet relationship with landowners, such as local authorities and development companies as well as many private landowners. Most are unaware of their rights to detain horses that have been either dumped or illegally fly-grazed on their land. Most often these horses are in poor health and end up in our care. We have established good working relationships with the Police and are often contacted by them asking for our opinion on the welfare of a horse and asked to help and support with specific and often serious neglect cases, as well as loose horses on the highways. The Trustees are content and confident in knowing that SAFE’s objectives to “rescue, rehabilitate and rehome” are being sufficiently met despite the challenges we are faced with; we remain focused and driven to achieve this objective. Within the timeline of this report, we can confirm the below statistics in terms of equine logistics for SAFE. This summarises the number of horses in/out of our care and any unfortunate losses: |**SAFE Equine Annual Tracker**|**Total Number**| |---|---| |Horses Rescued|7| |Horses Fostered|14| |Horses Rehomed|13| |Horses Returned|6| |Horses PTS* due to irrecoverable illness|3| |Total number of horses in SAFE’s care in
that period|49| *Put To Sleep Once rescued and placed in our care, all horses are rehabilitated and rehomed, unless they have mental, physical, or age-related conditions, which would make them unsuitable for rehoming. In this instance they stay with the charity for the remainder of their days in our static herd, receiving the care and love that every animal should. Horses that are rescued and have gone through the quarantine period and are fit enough to turn out, join this peaceful herd to decompress until they are ready for rehoming. We are firmly committed to ensuring that every equine has the best life we can give them, making certain that all their needs are met. We would once again like to highlight that the majority of the horses we rescue are often very unwell and have either a deep mistrust of people or have not been handled by people at all, as a result the road to rehabilitation is often a long one. It is our duty to ensure these horses are not rehomed until they are comfortable with human contact, healthy, castrated and well handled. They usually require microchips and passports and have at least the start of their vaccination course, before they are rehomed. Involved in the care of our animals, we have a mix of trustees, volunteers, vets, dentists, farriers, nutritionists, and holistic care practitioners all working together to focus on the welfare and well-being of the animals. SAFE has become well known and we are frequently approached by members of the public and local authorities with concerns for horse’s welfare, from all over the country. If we cannot physically help due to location, we always offer advice and follow up. We have increased our followers and supporters on Facebook and when a potential welfare risk is spotted, we are often the first to be contacted. Due to our collaboration with several other animal and equine specific rescues locally and nationally, it allows us to support rescues which involve abandoned / neglected cases when we are at capacity and allows us to rescue and move them to appropriate organisations. Our veterinarians hold SAFE in the highest regard, seen as the ‘gold standard’ of rescues, going the extra mile to ensure that the horses get the best nutrition and care possible, and always giving even the most dire of cases a chance (obviously with veterinary guidance). www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 4 ## Review of Objectives: ## **>Advance the education of members of the public in the proper care and treatment of their equines and support them with this care.** The Trustees feel that this objective continues to be met as we continue to liaise with those that own flygrazing horses, educating them in the need for parasite control, regular farrier visits and we support when on occasion these owners voluntarily surrender horses that they cannot afford to look after before they are beyond help. ## **>Help to fight the ever-increasing rise in cruelty to animals and continue to work with other similar minded organisations to ensure any neglected equines receive the care and medical treatment they sadly so often desperately need.** The Trustees believe this objective is met adequately as we are regularly alerted by members of the public or other rescues where issues concerning identified horses at risk are highlighted so that we or the closest rescue is able to intervene and resolve any issue if possible. This objective is being met by SAFE on a daily basis as we constantly work to help animals in distress and work with other organisations when necessary. ## **>Advise and communicate steering groups and political panels to improve the laws around horse welfare.** SAFE continues to contact and brief local MPs, Councillors and Police on local incidents and individual horses at risk. The laws are in place to protect these horses but no one is currently enforcing these laws. We are constantly exploring new avenues and methods to make permanent change and make the relevant bodies accountable for enforcement. ## **>Work with the Police, RSPCA, local authorities, equine bailiffs, and members of the public to rescue abandoned, neglected, and abused horses.** This objective is being met by SAFE as outlined above as we constantly work to help animals in distress and work with other organisations whenever necessary.. ## **>Remain a leading and recognised local charity, which provides all rescued horses a secure and bright future.** Without any doubt we continue to overachieve in this objective, as mentioned previously we are almost always the first charity members of the public will reach out to when they have concerns for a horse’s condition and welfare. SAFE recognises what each horse in it’s care needs to be fully rehabilitated and will never turn its back on any case, even if we were unable to take them into our own care, we work with our network of rescues to help, as SAFE strives to give every horse a bright future in a caring forever home. ## **Website** Our website has remained static and we are very aware it requires upgrade to make it work for us. This has been on our agenda for some time, but sadly other more pressing priorities take over. It remains on our “To Do” list and it is functional, but we are hopeful that one day we will have the relevant resource to upgrade it and make it work for us. ## **The Rescues** We continue to be inundated by concerned members of the public asking for our help and have done our very best to help in all situations. Sadly, cruelty and neglect remains high, particularly in the case of fly-grazing horses, with many colts (young males) being taken from their mothers far too young and left in fields or on the side of roads to fend for themselves. Thankfully we are often able to respond quickly, thanks to the diligence of members of the public, regarding SAFE as a charity who will get involved. www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 5 SAFE continues to monitor and support an area well known where a herd of horses are tethered for their entire lives and used for breeding (very often inbreeding too). Many members of the local community concerned about the horses have contacted us. Sadly under the current law, there is little we can do apart from highlight any welfare concerns to the RSPCA, the Police and the local authority. We will and have acted whenever we can and are hopeful that this suffering will end soon. ## **Equine Care – Vets, Farrier & Nutritionists, and Holistic Care Practitioners** We have continued with the same vets, Iain McKenzie Equine Practice. Working with us for so long, they have a wealth of knowledge of rescue horses and their support is second to none. Our secondary practice is Donnington Equine Hospital. We rely on them when horses require hospitalisation and they have specialist in house vets to deal with horses requiring urgent intensive medical care that we cannot support. We have a close relationship with our farrier and the horses seeing the same farrier each time for their hoof trims means they feel more comfortable and relaxed with the experience and many now no longer have to be sedated for this procedure. SAFE prides itself in working with natural feeds and natural supplements to support the horses in our care. This means we build relationships with companies to ensure we have discounted access. We are also very lucky to have relationships with many holistic practitioners who volunteer time with our horses, providing physio, natural healing, reiki and thermal/red light therapy. This has been invaluable for our older equines with joint issues. We now have the support of a rehabilitation expert, whom we send horses to for intense rehabilitation that we cannot provide ourselves. This has become an invaluable resource and also provides us with expert advice on horses in our care. ## **Volunteers** Every new volunteer undergoes a full induction before joining a shift at our yards. Health and Safety is explained and demonstrated. Each shift has an experienced Shift Lead who has undertaken training. The Shift Lead acts as shift manager and coordinates activities teaching the necessary skills to new and existing volunteers on that shift. Our Shift Leads are focussed on safety of volunteers and ensuring the care of our horses. Any children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and we do not accept children under the age of 4, in line with our insurance. Our volunteer numbers were stable for most of the year, however during the winter months, as always, we saw a dip in numbers due to a ‘fair-weather approach’, where volunteers will step away until spring/summer. We always reach out for new volunteers via local groups on Facebook, looking for experienced support and are usually very successful and we on-boarded some great volunteers, some who went on to become Shift Leads. ## **Feed and Supplements** We remain steadfast when it comes to our approach to feeds and supplements. It is not appropriate to cut costs when it comes to feeding our horses quality hay, feeds, and supplements. We feed a mix of Agrobs and Simple System products. These are tailored to the needs of the horse. Some require extra nutrition due to previous starvation and neglect, and others require quality fibre and low sugar and starch. These two feed manufacturers are second to none for equine natural nutrition. www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 6 Supplements are incorporated into every horse’s feed to tackle individual issues and support their overall health and wellbeing, e.g., milk thistle for horses who have liver damage. This area develops every year and Alison Stratford, SAFE’s Founder and Chair Trustee, spends a great deal of time researching and working with natural feed and supplement suppliers, to have the right approach for each horse. Alison, with the support of an equine nutritionist, will establish the right feed & supplements for each horse in line with their individual requirements and review this on a regular basis. Our supplements suppliers continue to be EquiNatural and Global Herbs. ## **Finances** The Trustees noted that income and expenditure dropped slightly from the previous year. We rely on our own fundraising team made up of volunteers already committed to caring for the horses, plus the generosity of our supporters for donations. We were not able to hold our annual Fun Day for this year, due to our Local Authority management changes and change of process for booking venues. That makes a huge impact on our income sadly. The generosity of our supporters was once again overwhelming as they rallied to help us.. Plus the continued financial support from Hilda Florence Holmes Trust Charity is a huge support and truly appreciated. . The Trustees continue to oversee, monitor, and review all efforts to reduce expenditure where possible and focus efforts on increasing income via the charitable donations, fundraising events and sales of tack. ## **Looking Ahead** All Trustees continue to agree an annual plan of improvements covering all aspects of the charity, from rescue, maintenance and restructure of land management, daily care of horses to fundraising and rehoming horses. ## **Summary** The Trustees have confidence that Saving Abandoned Fly-Grazing Equines continues to uphold and deliver on our mission statement and objectives, in line with what we have always wanted to achieve from the outset. SAFE does everything possible in no uncertainty to improve the lives of the horses that are taken into our care. That said, we recognise that there is always room for improvement and SAFE will focus on continuous improvement, as it is important for us to continually review and adapt approaches to better the rescue. This report was approved by the Board on Friday 3rd March, 2024. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Alison Stratford
Chair of the Trustees & Founder
**----- End of picture text -----**
www.safe-horses.org.uk Registered charity no 1172769 7 ## **SAVING ABANDONED FLY-GRAZING EQUINES** **Charity number 1172769** **INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2023** Boyett Mayes Limited The Stables, Moneys Farm Bottle Lane Mattingley Hampshire RG27 8LJ ## **SAVING ABANDONED FLY-GRAZING EQUINES INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2023** |**INCOME:**
**Donations**
JustGiving Appeals
Donations
Fundraising
**Other:**
Interest Received
Other
**Fees Received:**
Rehoming fees
Other
**TOTAL INCOME**
**EXPENDITURE:**
**Running costs:**
Feed and Bedding
Fallen Stock Removal
Horse Wear and Equipment
Vet, Dentist and Medical Supplies
Farrier
Freelance Groom Fees
Transport
Foster fees
Passports
Insurance
Land Registry
**Yard and Land :**
Repair and Maintenance
Electricity
Fencing & Field Care
Rental
Waste Removal
**Other:**
Sundry
Depreciation
Accountancy
Administration and Informational costs
Fundraising costs
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
**SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR THE YEAR**|**£**
-
99,554
13,256
-
1,972
5,172
-
27,199
276
1,086
37,435
2,865
-
2,138
2,826
458
5,528
-
7,666
1,898
919
20,400
-
24
753
240
653
-|**£**
112,810
1,972
5,172
79,810
30,883
1,670
**2023**|**£**
**119,954**
**112,364**
**7,590**|**£**
-
99,361
20,228
-
-
1,720
-
34,663
-
6,235
39,140
2,605
-
2,455
2,131
256
4,102
-
7,633
635
2,034
20,475
-
-
942
240
1,343
5,304|**£**
119,589
-
1,720
91,587
30,776
7,828
**2022**|**£**
**121,309**
**130,191**
**(8,883)**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| Page 2 ## **SAVING ABANDONED FLY-GRAZING EQUINES STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2023** **----- Start of picture text -----**
2023
£ £ £
ASSETS
Tangible Fixed Assets 7,149 4,136 3,013
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash at Bank - Main Account 10,293
Debtors 338
Total Current Assets 10,631
CURRENT LIABILITITES
Accruals 240
Loan for Vet Fees 4,000
4,240
NET CURRENT LIABILITIES 6,391
TOTAL NET ASSETS 9,404
CAPITAL ACCOUNTS
Balance B/Fwd 1,814
Surplus/Deficit in Year 7,590
9,404
Approved by:
Alison Stratford
Trustee
Dated:
4th March 2024
**----- End of picture text -----**
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