15 Jan 2025
The chair of Highfield Park Trust has revealed how the charity has been pushed to its limits in trying to deal with three abandoned horses which have taken up residence in the park.
Tim Abbott spoke exclusively to the St Albans Times about the situation, and what efforts are being made to resolve it.
He said: “Highfield Park Trust is a small charity, working hard to make our wonderful park the best we can. We’ve achieved a lot since 1996 and everybody who has helped us along the way is rightfully very proud of our achievements.
“For several years now I’ve been stressing the importance of building greater resilience into our operations, as we never quite know what is around the corner. We have worked hard to diversify and grow our income, to increase the size of our team and to professionalise our procedures. Despite all this good work, the events of recent days have tested us.”
He first became aware of abandoned horses in and around the Highfield area after seeing social media posts at the end of November.
“I can remember hoping that they didn’t end up in the park. Roll on a few weeks and guess what, they arrived. As far as I know, they’ve only made two appearances in the park. A brief stop early last week and then again a few days later, when they seemed to have decided to take up a more permanent residence.”
In the wake of the horses’ arrival, the trust office was soon busy dealing with calls about the situation.
“Like everyone else previously, we hoped that they would naturally move on, but over the weekend, it started to dawn on me that this wouldn’t occur. People are generally kind and had started to feed them.”
By Sunday afternoon the trust’s WhatsApp group was full of different thoughts on how to proceed, and their social media feeds were packed with comments from park users.
“We concluded that somebody needed to do something useful and since the horses were on our land, it had to be us. We felt that hoping that the horses would move on naturally, or indeed encouraging them to do so, was not an appropriate option. They had already been wandering around for six or more weeks.
“We are human and either work or volunteer our time to the trust because we care about nature and the community we live in. The thought of where this could lead us is appalling and we have discussed the consequences of our actions at length. The easiest thing we could have done was to drive the horses out of the park and let somebody else sort the problem out.
“Unfortunately, it was clear that nobody else was going to do so. We don’t want to see these animals suffer and neither do we want to see them destroyed.”
The situation has consumed the trust office since the weekend, leaving them unable to progress with any other business.
“We are fielding countless calls from people encouraging our success or wanting to share some piece of knowledge. It is clear that many people are dissatisfied with the events of recent weeks. Most people will have absolutely no comprehension of how much time has gone into the operation.
“Everybody is very sympathetic, but unable to help us find the solution we are looking for.
“The outdoor team and our regular volunteers have also stepped up. An unwanted allotment bath tub has been pressed into service as a water trough. A holding pen has been built and our park team leader has put in many hours with the horses, trying to win their trust. He has been onsite throughout the weekend, checking that all was well with them.”
The trust is now going to start the legal process to have the horses removed, and has to ensure all procedures are carried out correctly.
“I know that the team was astonished by some aspects of the legislation. Several people have now said to us that it is not fit for purpose.
“Clearly, the trust will remain focused on this for several days and we will do our best to find a satisfactory solution, although we cannot guarantee this. We cannot look after these animals indefinitely.
“In due time the trust will call a meeting with many of the organisations who have been involved in these events in recent weeks, to understand collectively what we can do better should this situation arise again.
“Lastly, several people have asked if they could donate to the trust to help cover our costs. If people would like to contribute, they can do so through the website.”
