A day with a World Horse Welfare Field Officer

Our inspiring team of 16 Field Officers makes over 2,500 initial and follow-up visits to welfare concerns reported by the public every year. They never know what call will come next, and they never hesitate to drop everything to go out to an emergency situation. Working across Great Britain, our Field Officers investigate welfare concerns, advise owners on improving conditions and rescue horses when needed. 

Every single one of them is highly experienced and they all come from a background which has given them excellent horse knowledge, as well as a thorough understanding of the law. They know when a situation can be resolved by a sympathetic ear and some timely advice and support, but they also know when a stronger approach is needed.   

Every day brings them into contact with people from a range of different backgrounds, in all sorts of situations, and they deal with each and every one of these as well as they can to get the best result possible for the horse. As well as the essential work they do responding to welfare concerns, our Field Officers, along with our team of Rehoming Officers, also make regular visits to our rehomed horses to make sure everything is going smoothly. 

Recently, our Fundraising Marketing Officer Amy Holden, headed out for the day with our fabulous Field Officer Charlotte to see what life in the role is really like. 

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When I was given the opportunity to spend a day with Charlotte, one of our brilliant Field Officers, I didn’t know what to expect. My experience of our field work is generally through the lens of photos, reports and spreadsheets, which means that it can often feel a bit removed from my day-to-day work.  

To help remedy this, I jumped at the chance to join Charlotte on a day out on the job. On a brisk winter Monday, and after donning a thick jacket and gloves, I headed over to meet her. We discussed the agenda for the day, which included checking in on previous cases and investigating fresh welfare reports. Fully briefed, we headed into the nearby countryside. 

This time of year can be particularly busy for our Field Officers. Bare tree branches often mean that horses in fields are uncovered, and this increased visibility can mean more welfare reports. Lower temperatures also mean that we can receive more reports of horses appearing to be cold and in need of our intervention. I ask Charlotte if she often attends jobs where nothing is wrong with the horse. She explained this rarely happens, because our UK support team are so fantastic at screening the initial reports from the public and getting a good understanding of whether a horse is in need of our help. This kind of thorough screening process means that Charlotte and our other Field Officers can spend more time helping the horses and their owners who desperately need our help. However, caution is always exercised – if there’s a chance that a horse is in need, one of our Field Officers will be there.  

We arrive at our first job, a revisit to five horses in a field where there have been issues before. On this occasion we found the horses in a muddy field with limited grass available for grazing. Charlotte notes that one of the horses has lost some weight since her last visit several weeks ago, but not enough to reach a threshold for concern, so she will continue to monitor them.  

We then visit a beautiful Trotter, following up on a report of a hoof issue. She bounds up to meet us at the edge of the fence, clearly comfortable around people, and we can see that her left hoof has a split. We leave a note for the owner to get the hoof checked out by a farrier as soon as possible. Charlotte will check back on this case later to make sure this necessary work has been done to keep the horse in good health, and she will escalate it further if this hasn’t been done in good time.  

I ask Charlotte if there are any red flags that she looks out for when she’s out in the field, which suggest that horses might not be being attended to regularly. She says the main one is seeing no forage for the horses, which at this time of year often means no hay available in fields that are particularly muddy and don’t have much grass growing. Another red flag is rubbish in the field, which can suggest owners haven’t visited in a while to clear it. Dangerous or dilapidated fencing is also a concern, because if an owner isn’t looking after equipment and the environment, it can often mean the horses are getting overlooked too.  

What strikes me is that although being compassionate and knowledgeable about horses is vital for this role, it takes more than this to be a good Field Officer. In fact, it’s equally important to be compassionate towards people – the horse owners themselves. Knowing how to effectively read situations, when to escalate concerns, and where you can do more good for horses by maintaining positive relationships with horse owners who are on our radar.  

This becomes particularly evident when we arrive for a job at a farm. There are nine horses in total including three heavy horses and four adorable foals. Here, Charlotte is working with the horse owners to monitor the horses’ wellbeing following previous welfare reports, noting that one of the horses is looking a bit underweight. Charlotte discusses this with the owner, making recommendations on how to build weight back up, and she will revisit in a few weeks to check on progress. I was impressed by how well this was navigated by Charlotte, with everyone leaving the situation knowing what needed to be done in the best interest of the horses.  

To be a good Field Officer at World Horse Welfare, it’s vital to be a horse person, but it’s equally as vital to be a people person who works well with others – whether that’s horse owners, partner organisations or the general public – to get the best outcome for the horse every single time.

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We are constantly inspired by the work of our Field Officers, who often find themselves in challenging, and sometimes dangerous situations, but always work to get the best result possible for every horse, pony, foal and donkey they meet. A huge thank you to them all. 

If you’re concerned about a horse’s welfare in Great Britain, you can report this to us online. Due to the volume of welfare reports being submitted currently, our UK support team is extremely busy and reports are being triaged by urgency. Please make sure you provide as much information about the situation as possible so the case can be triaged accordingly.  

If you’re not sure whether to report a horse you’ve seen, find out which situations should be reported.