Royal Donation Helps With Horse Charity's Vet's Bills
£3,500 will cover veterinary costs for six months 'barring major
problems'
A generous donation from a member of the exiled Yugoslavian royal
family will enable a racehorse charity to meet its veterinary bills
for six months.
Crown
Princess Katarina, daughter of the late Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia,
presented a cheque for £3,500 to Graham Oldfield, chief executive
of Moorcroft Racehorse Welfare Centre which is based in West Sussex.
Moorcroft,
which takes in ex-racehorses to assess and re-school with the ultimate
aim of re-homing them, has annual running costs of over £220,000
year and relies almost exclusively on fundraising events and private
donations.
Katarina,
who has a home in West Sussex, had been given the money in return
for opening an exclusive club and casino in Southampton. She is
an enthusiastic fundraiser for charity although this is her first
donation to Moorcroft.
Graham
Oldfield is delighted to be on the receiving end of such generosity.
"Many
horses that are sent to us suffer from limb problems which have
to be scanned at a cost of £70 per leg - or £130 per
leg if they have to be x-rayed," he said. "We also have
to use an equine physiotherapist to deal with the back problems
from which racehorses are prone to suffer. This costs an average
of £100 to check out four horses.
"Barring
major problems requiring operations this donation will cover the
veterinary costs of the Centre for approximately six months - including
the costs of regular visits from our vet and treatment given."
Katarina,
who plans to maintain her links with Moorcroft by doing some volunteer
work at the Centre, said she was delighted to be able to help.
"I've
been to Moorcroft several times since my first visit last autumn
and I've been very impressed with the dedication and expertise shown
by Graham and his yard manager Sue Collins," she said. "They
work like Trojans - and, of course, when you are looking after animals,
there are no days off.
"I
have been in the fortunate position of being able to give Moorcroft
a substantial sum of money but I urge everyone who can spare a pound
or two to think about making a donation to this very worthy cause.
When running costs are so high it really is a case of 'every little
helps'."
Anyone
interested in helping or finding out more about Moorcroft can call
on 01403 791916, email mrwc@talk21.com or check out the website,
www.mrwc.org.uk
.
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