Click here for the Association Statuts (PDF / French)
Click here for the minutes of the 2008 AGM (MS Word / English)
Click here for ERF press release or here to read the publicity articles in the newspapers & internet
Kathryn DOBSON (President) & Jon DOBSON (Founder Member)
Kathryn & Jon moved to France with their 3 young girls just over 5 years ago, initially settling in the Jura mountains near to Geneva before relocating to near Civray (86) last year. The Dobsons met Trina as she was setting out to rescue a horse from the fattening fields in Dept. 41 and less than 24 hours later, Noisette (a 6 year old pregnant Breton mare) and Princess Fiona (a 6 month old donkey, left alone in a grassless field and surrounded by barbed wire) were welcomed to their new home! This was the start of a great friendship and plans were hatched to try to rescue more horses. The three of them worked together for the first time when the mushroom farm in 86 was emptied (see here for more info) and Equine Rescue France was born.
Whilst only recently becoming a horse owner, Kathryn has many years of international management expertise which will (hopefully!) help guide ERF through their initial creation phase.
Jenny LUPTON (Secretary)
"I have ridden and competed horses for most of my life, with five years out at Art School.
I have showjumped, evented and latterly got a bit more serious about dressage. I trained when I could with a wonderful trainer called Bill Noble, who sadly emigrated to NZ. He gave me a blueprint for training horses that I have never forgotten, and the importance of getting inside a horse’s mind.
I rode a lot of horses rejected by other people, too dangerous, or stopping at fences, or not doing what they were supposed to. There is no greater satisfaction than turning a horse round and winning with him, when because of poor riding and greed he was destined for the scrap heap. I wish it was not a necessary job.
From TB’s to WB’s, Andalucians to cobs, each type of horse has a different attitude, and needs treated accordingly. Usually I can read them fairly quickly, but there are always exceptions that keep you on your toes. I can hopefully put this experience to good use within the association.
I now work as an equestrian artist, and have raise monies for various charities through auctioning portraits, including the racing fundraiser for the McMillan Cancer fund, the ILPH, Eventing Ireland, the Grass Sickness Fund and the Phoenix Asso in France.
I moved here in November of 2005, with my menagerie, and have now rescued a little Portuguese horse from Dept 41.
I’m going to need to draw on all my experience with this wee soul, as he changes planet when he worries. His blog is here."
Trina SUMMERFIELD (Founder and Spokesperson)
A pony obsessed schoolgirl of 10 years old was determined to follow her dream of becoming a showjumper…. 10 years later and Trina was competing in showjumping classes as a member of England's Under 21 teams at both a National & International level. She qualified & competed at prestigious events such as Olympia International, Hickstead and the Royal International horse show on horses that were always a little bit of a challenge!
When she chose her next career path it was to be practising natural horsemanship methods under the watchful eye of Kelly Marks, where Trina gained her 'Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate of Horsemanship' & became a 'Recommended Associate' in her home town in Suffolk before moving to the Charente, France. This training in dealing with difficult and untouched equines has proved an invaluable resource for her present role in Equine Rescue France.
Trina's family of equines now include her 5 horses brought over when they moved from the UK. One of these is Zafiro LXXII, a pure bred Spanish stallion who Trina has brought on from 9 months old and has competed with notable success on the UK showing circuit. Apart from these 5 there is Zurito, a Spanish gelding bought from the dept 41 fattening farm in a very poor state who Trina is working with and the moment and he is now happily accepting a bridle and saddle. Pregnant mares and foals are also now happily grazing at Trina's after being rescued from being transported to the Italian butchers when a mushroom farm shut down .They were found riddled with worms and very thin but are now slowly gaining weight and learning to trust humans.
A message from our founder & spokesperson, Trina Summerfield:
For a long time I had wanted to save a horse destined for slaughter and then to turn its life around. One day in July I did just that….and then it really snowballed!
After some research I discovered a farm in Dept 41, Loir et Cher, where equines are fattened up ready for selling to the butchers. A few hurried messages the day before I went ,asking if anyone wanted to come along and save another led me to meeting the Dobson family. Together we made the long journey in my horsebox to see what exactly was at these 'fattening farms'.
I had been told that this particular horse dealer had bought a lot of equines up from Spain and many were en route to the Italian slaughterhouses. I found this particularly hard to understand when we passed an abattoir in the village where the horses were. I later found out that the French slaughterhouses do not accept pregnant mares….Italy do! Many horses, ponies and donkeys had already left this farm and made the horrendous trip to Italy. These mares were being transported whilst very heavily pregnant, some with foals at foot, as nothing is wasted in the slaughterhouses!
That day I saved a Spanish gelding whom I named Zurito and the Dobsons took home a pregnant Breton mare called Noisette and a 6 month old female donkey, Fiona, who was destined for Italy to be made into salami. We saw for ourselves that the people at this yard were brutal and not surprisingly, appeared ignorant to the horses’ needs.
On arriving home, postings were put on various websites telling people of the lovely equines who through no fault of their own had ended up in this dire situation. None of us expected the huge response these postings created…people in France and the UK really wanted to help save some more. It was at this point we started discussing the possibility of setting up a formal association through which to manage our efforts.
Just seven weeks later and already over 50 equines have been saved from the Italian & French butchers – all as a result of our first visit to the fattening farm in Dept 41. You may have heard of the Mushroom farm in 86 where 30 horses had already been sent to the abattoir. Through our efforts, the remaining horses and donkeys are enjoying a new life with new families across France and the UK.
We are now extremely proud to announce the formation of Equine Rescue France, a not-for-profit organisation formed by a group of like-minded people who are all experts in their own field. All are passionate about equine welfare and making a longer term, sustainable difference for these animals. We are now looking for other members to join us and support our work in whatever way possible. In the immediate term, we are raising funds to help locate and rescue more equines in need. In the medium and longer term, we will be organising events and welfare education days and of course, campaigning to improve the legislation for all aspect of equine welfare. We look foward to welcoming you as a member!"
August 2007
