The British Horse Society’s Drawing the Line campaign to halt the indiscriminate breeding of horses, received a huge boost with an exciting evening at its Cambridge charity auction. In excess of £33,000 has been raised and with further auctions to take place later this year, we are sure that the campaign will prove to be a great success.

Lots of lots

Cheffins of Cambridge were flying the famous BHS red and white flags where more than 80 bidders gathered at the Clifton Street auction house, all with their eyes on taking home their favourite lot.

The opening address was given by Jenny Pitman OBE, the first woman to train a Grand National winner. Jenny spoke out about her passion for horses and her support of the campaign and the work of The British Horse Society.

Bidding bonanza

Bidding commenced at 7pm and the first lot - a beautiful oil on canvas painting, ‘Arabian Filly’ by Laura Barber Riley - got the evening off to a flying start by selling for more than its estimate at £220. The bids came in thick and fast throughout the evening, but the clear star of the show was the walk-on part in the TV series Doc Martin, which raised almost £3,000 for the campaign!

Other notable lots included Katy Sodeau’s ‘Mare & Foals’ painting which sold for £1,200 and Debbie Gillingham’s ‘Tack a Jack’ achieving more than twice its estimate at £550.

As well as the guests who attended the evening, commission bids and phone and internet bidders meant that the items were highly contested. The signed celebrity artwork, miscellanea and the unique experiences all proved to be very popular, with a framed set of Godolphin racing silks signed by Frankie Dettori taking their new owner to the winner’s enclosure at £400 – double its estimate.

Say no to indescriminate breeding

Sales of BHS Drawing the Line merchandise and many kind donations throughout the year have all helped to reach its current total, and the funds will be used to help bring an end to the unnecessary suffering of equines.

Lee Hackett, Senior Executive (Welfare), commented: “The support we have received for this campaign and the huge sum it has so far raised, just goes to show how important people feel the cause to be.

“Whatever we can do to reduce irresponsible and indiscriminate breeding will benefit the whole UK equine population, and the extraordinary generosity of our many donors and supporters will allow us to begin to make this real difference. We would like to thank everyone who helped to make the auction night a great success.”