“The feeling of knowing that you’re making a difference is wonderful”

Our supporters are the lifeblood of our charity and without their generous support and fundraising activities we simply could not help the sheer number of vulnerable horses, donkeys and mules that we do every year in Britain and throughout the world. 

Kelly Jay has been fundraising for us since 2017, and she has now raised more than £33,000 in support of our charity’s work. She lends a hand at dressage events, sells second-hand tack and books, and encourages her fabulous friends to take on fundraising events too – friends like Kat whose banger race added £1,040 to the impressive and ever-growing total. 

As one of our valuable rehomers too, Kelly is truly an extraordinary and inspirational supporter. We caught up with her to find out more. 

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Tell us a bit about yourself… 

I’m from Norfolk and I work as a Financial Controller for a farming and food production business. I love horses and ponies, and I really enjoy keeping up with the antics of my horsey friends and seeing their achievements – whatever those are, because they look different for all of us. 

When did your love of horses begin and when did they first come into your life? 

I have always loved horses but didn’t get the opportunity for proper contact until I was 14. A very kind man called Joe allowed me to learn to ride on his horse Hobo, and also to learn the horse care side of things. I then became his sharer until 2010 when Hobo died at the age of 37. I will forever be grateful to Joe for those opportunities. I think both would be proud of my achievements. 

As a teenager I also used to look after other people’s horses for pocket money, as we did in the less health and safety conscious days. I got my first horse, Miss Molly, in 2007 and she taught me so much. She was my horse of a lifetime, and she passed away in 2023 at the age of 33 after a long and very happy retirement. 

You are one of our fabulous rehomers, can you tell us about your World Horse Welfare horses… 

I have Casey who is 28 years old and came to us as a companion for my mare, Miss Molly. She very quickly became part of the family as she’s a real sweetheart. She’s quite introverted and doesn’t like a whole lot of fuss, so the days that she asks for cuddles are really special. She was rescued in November 2015 and came to us in April 2016. She’s a very bright pony and misses nothing. 

Cinnamon came to us in September 2023 having been rescued in January of that year. We lost our precious Miss Molly in the August and I wanted a friend for Casey, and Cinnamon fitted the bill perfectly. I decided that I had enjoyed seeing Casey’s confidence grow and felt it was something I would like to do again. Cinnamon is a real people pony, she’s always up for cuddles and fuss and is really curious, she’s always wanting to know what you’re doing. 

What has been really lovely is seeing Casey step into the role that Molly had, and she is a brilliant comfort blanket for Cinnamon, being on hand to show her how things are done and to provide a calm influence. 

 
What inspired you to start fundraising for us back in 2017? 

I used to really enjoy dressage with Miss Molly and was conscious of how events don’t run without volunteers and my mum really didn’t like calling for me, in case she did it wrong, but also because she couldn’t watch. 

Casey had been with us for a year at that point and I felt I would like to support World Horse Welfare and dressage test calling for donations seemed a good combination of those two things. 

You have raised more than £33,000 for World Horse Welfare which is utterly incredible, can you tell us how you have raised such a phenomenal amount… 

I started off calling dressage tests in return for donations, but it has grown broader. I call at several events and generally, over the summer, I call every weekend at some brilliant, friendly venues, because it’s about being encouraging and helping people enjoy their horses. I call all levels from children’s lead rein up to and including medium. I love my ‘dressagers’ at all levels, and all amounts of confidence. I really enjoy seeing them improve both in terms of results and confidence as in some cases just getting into the arena is a huge achievement.  

In addition, I sell secondhand tack and rugs, jigsaws and books. 

I have some wonderful supporters. There has been an annual showing show in Martham where the profits go to World Horse Welfare via my fundraising and a couple of friends run charity car boot sales over the summer for a variety of charities and I am fortunate enough to benefit there. I have a lovely friend who did a charity banger race to raise funds and another held a cake sale. 

Also, people just donate because they like what we’re doing, they enjoy my fundraising Facebook updates on the antics of ‘the girls’, some donate at Christmas time and also when Miss Molly passed away we received donations in memory. 

People are very kind and I do have an astonishing group of friends. I always refer to it as ‘our fundraising’. I really am very lucky with the support that I get from family and friends with what I do, and have made so many new friends from my volunteering. But I have to say I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the support at home. Fun fact, my husband is allergic to horses and Cinnamon seems to be worse, maybe a chestnut thing! So he supports from a distance. 

How does it feel to know that your wonderful fundraising is helping to improve the lives of horses every day?    

It’s really rewarding. When I see Casey and Cinnamon every day it just makes it feel so personal, because I can see firsthand the good work that’s done and unfortunately continues to need to be done. To see my girls, and to know them as I do feels like a real privilege, and they’re such sweethearts that it’s heartbreaking that they were treated so badly – so I could get angry or I could get off my bum and do something. 

What fundraising plans do you have on the horizon? 

Plans for this year are more of the same. I have three different dressage competitions each month (Clarke’s Farm in Martham, Willow Farm Equestrian in Ormesby and Mousehold Farm in Rackheath) and a charity showing show at Clarke’s Farm in Martham, as well as my usual sales of horse equipment, books and jigsaws. 

I would also like to thank everyone who has supported and continues to do so. Having my girls makes this so personal, knowing that World Horse Welfare was there for them and that there are horses and ponies out there right now and in future who will need the care and support of World Horse Welfare. 

What advice would you give to anyone who is inspired by you to fundraise for World Horse Welfare? 

Absolutely go for it, the fundraising office is always so friendly, helpful and supportive. The feeling of knowing that you’re making a difference is wonderful. 

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If Kelly has inspired you to fundraise for us, please visit our Fundraising pages to find out how you can get involved. Our Fundraiser’s Pack and Junior Fundraiser’s Pack offer tips and advice to make your event or challenge a success.  

All of our wonderful fundraisers ensure we can work across the full spectrum of the horse world in the UK and around the world to improve welfare and the horse-human relationship – thank you to each and every one of you who has supported our charity.   

Main photo credit: Matt Smith.