Ascot Kids at Horse Trust
17 children from Ascot Racecourse's Colts and Fillies Club spent an activity-packed afternoon at The Horse Trust's sanctuary in Speen, Buckinghamshire during October half-term. The Colts and Fillies Club is run by Ascot Racecourse for children who attend horse races with their parents. Members come from a variety of areas, primarily in the south of England.
On Tuesday, the young racegoers - aged from 6 months to 14 years - visited The Horse Trust with their parents. They spent an activity-packed afternoon at the sanctuary - they were given talks and demonstrations on horse care, such as grooming, met the residents at the sanctuary and took part in a horse quiz.
John Blake, Head of Sales and Marketing at Ascot Racecourse, accompanied the club members on their visit and presented the charity with a cheque for £250, on behalf of Ascot Racecourse.
"All the children and their parents had a fantastic time at The Horse Trust. They particularly enjoyed meeting the ex-police horses and Pandora, The Horse Trust's oldest donkey," said Mr Blake.
Pandora, a grey miniature donkey, is thought to be in her 50s. She and her daughter arrived at The Horse Trust in 2005, when their elderly owner was moving to a retirement home so could no longer look after them.
Liane Crowther, Equine Welfare and Education Officer at The Horse Trust, said she enjoyed hosting the day for the young racegoers.
"We all had a fun afternoon. It was great to see how interested the children were in learning more about horse care and they asked a lot of good questions," said Ms Crowther.
The Horse Trust's Home of Rest for Horses is open to the public every day of the week between 2pm and 4pm. Entrance to the sanctuary is free, but donations are welcome to enable the charity to continue to provide expert care and veterinary treatment to its family of over 100 horses, ponies and donkeys.
The Colts and Fillies Club has about 10,000 members, making it the largest sports-related children's club in the UK. The club is free to join and all the activities it runs are free of charge. For more information, visit www.coltsandfillies.co.uk
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