The ‘Free Spirit’ Horse Memorial charity, http://www.freespiritmemorial.co.uk, is paying tribute to the horses that have served mankind in times of conflict,
work and in sport, rehabilitation and education. The charity has also been working with many schools in the area and the British Dyslexia Association in supporting the contribution that horses make to the physical and emotional development of children, young people and those with special needs.

Free Spirit are striving to fundraise £250,000 for a stunning, life sized bronze horse memorial, commissioned by Georgie Welch, to be displayed at the National Arboretum, http://www.thenma.org.uk, the UKs year round centre for remembrance.

Set amongst 150-acres of landscaped woodland in Staffordshire, the National Arboretum serves as a thought-provoking place of remembrance to over 300 memorials: http://www.thenma.org.uk/whats-here/memorial-listing/. The memorials represent a broad population of society from military associations,
charitable organisations, emergency services, fraternity groups and individuals.

The ‘Free Spirit’ horse memorial is the only memorial the National Arboretum has granted to an animal in its own right. As an equine veterinarian horse welfare is a passion of mine and I whole heartedly support one of the charity’s ethos’, that the integral role horses served in World War I (WWI) deserves greater and wider acknowledgement. Furthermore everyday I meet
clients and their horses and witness the unique relationship that they share with their four-legged family member. In this regard, I hope my efforts to support Free Spirit will also help more people have the opportunity to be able to experience such an emotional connection with this truly beautiful animal.

To help fundraise I am running four half-marathons this spring/summer 2016: Lichfield 1^st May, Market
Harborough 11^th June, Wales (Tenby) Half Marathon 10^th
July and Isle of Mull 7^th August. I would like to aim to fundraise £2000, which I hope is not too over ambitious. Please note I am personally paying for all the costs associated with entering, travel and accommodation around these races myself. Whilst the distance may not appear particularly arduous I am training hard and hope to get as close a time to 80-85 minutes as I can. There is no particular significance to their locations, but it seems fitting to try and spread the ‘Free Spirit’ word around the UK. A one off donation for my efforts in completing these four events would be gratefully received. A massive thank you in advance for all donations received.

A brief synopsis of horses in the Great War

Over 8 million horses, donkeys and mules died alongside their respective armies during WWI. The horse served a strategic and tactical role. Horses were the principal form of military motive power and mobility, without which an army could not function, making an army’s horse supply pivotal to their achievements and the outcome of the war.

The greatest demand was for heavy and light draught horses to pull the guns, stores and equipment (picture 4 in my gallery: a horse laden with trench boots on the Somme Front, covered in mud amidst a barren landscape). Lesser numbers carried the wounded and were used in cavalry charges. To meet this demand during the first year of the war the UK was emptied of horses, requisitioned by the government, being taken from fields, cities, factories, coal-pits and farmers. As the War Memorial in London’s Hyde Park is inscribed, ‘They had no choice’. These numbers were bolstered between 1914 and 1917 by nearly 800,000 horses from North America. These imports were the ‘lucky ones’ that escaped detection by the German U-boats on their trans-Atlantic crossing. Once re-trained, they were shipped off to a terrible world just as unfamiliar to them as it was for their human counterparts. They stumbled through the hell of no-man's land, closely following every British and Commonwealth push.  In the mud, rain and terror of the trenches they supplied their comrades with food, water and ammunition, even though they themselves were exhausted and malnourished.

Horses also played a significant emotional role, boosting the morale of their human counterparts. The horses were selfless, displayed boundless courage and unquestioned loyalty to their comrade in arms. Living, labouring and
fighting alongside soldiers, they endured the same hardships and dangers. Each horse had a name, and its personality was known and treasured (picture 5 in my gallery: transport of the Devon Regiment; near Fricourt, 7th August 1916, an officer lies down next to a horse as they rest). A soldier would have done everything in their power to care for their horse and preserve this unique bond amidst tragic conditions. The loss of a horse to some would have been as devastating as the loss of a fellow soldier.

The ‘Goodbye Old Man’ picture by Fortunino Matania (picture 6 in my gallery) illustrates the extraordinary bond that existed between soldiers and their horses. Commissioned by the Blue Cross the picture was used as propaganda to raise awareness and fundraise for animals during World War I. The poem ‘A Soldier’s Kiss’, written by Henry Chappell, was inspired by this work and the last verse reads:

‘No honours wait him, medal, badge or star,

Though scarce could war a kindlier deed unfold;

He bears within his breast, more precious far

Beyond the gift of kings, a heart of gold.’

After the war Winston Churchill intervened to secure the safe return of thousands of horses stranded in Europe. Back in the UK 25,000 of the best horses remained in service. A further 60,000-100,000 returned to the UK were auctioned, with a fortunate few being rescued by the RSPCA and Blue Cross Fund to retire and live out their lives on sanctuaries. An unknown remainder were left and sold locally where they were stationed at the end of the war, to farmers, for a life of hard labour, or to the knackers yard, for meat – both a terrible fate after serving their country so valiantly.

Pictures 2 and 3 in the gallery below are credit of Georgie Welch.