Our Trustees

Sally feels that the BHS has helped to shape her career through qualifications and professional development and is now delighted to have a good range of skills to give something back to the charity.

She has extensive business and fundraising skills, having raised £2 million to build an equestrian centre. Sally is knowledgeable in staff management and was voted “Business Personality of the Year, Aberdeen” 2017. She also has good knowledge of employment law and has successfully lobbied for full rates relief for her centre, Aberdeen Riding Club. 

As well as being a keen member of the BHS, Sally has volunteered her time to sit on local BHS committees and supports the Society by providing her centre for educational days or talks. Sally says that becoming a Trustee seems a logical further step in helping the charity and she believes that her skill sets will benefit the BHS in its development.

As a team player, Sally is delighted to join the Board as she feels a strong Board is vital to the success of the BHS. Having been though a very successful period, Sally believes that the Society is at a stage where better communication and trust in the Board is required. She says that this issue is not a BHS-specific problem, but one created by social media and our demand for instantaneous information. She aims to assist in improving these communications and will work to give members trust and confidence in the Board.

Caroline will play a pivotal role in the Society’s lobbying efforts across many key causes, including the required support for the equine industry as the United Kingdom recovers from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Caroline is a keen equestrian and member of British Riding Clubs, and served as MP for Meriden from 1997 to 2019, holding many senior ministerial appointments, including Secretary of State for Defra. As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Horse for many years, she championed the work of the BHS across all of its charitable aims. Access is of particular interest to Caroline and one of her priorities will be to ensure the 2026 deadline for recording of historical routes is repealed as promised by the Government without sacrificing other promised improvements to the process.  

CEO & Director of the Forest Industry Safety Accord, Gillian is also a farmer, directly involved in rural Health & Safety with a working knowledge of the challenges of rural and forest roads. Chartered Member of IOSH, Gillian previously ran Thirlestane Horse Trials and has been involved in other large equestrian events.  Gillian is the owner & producer of eleven horses, and continues to ride frequently in her spare time, hacking regularly on local, rural roads.

As Specialist Trustee for Safety, Gillian has become involved in supporting the brilliant BHS road safety initiatives, brining additional support to look at the challenge of meeting large vehicles: HGVs and farm machinery on the road. Gillian will support the BHS in raising awareness with both the rider on how to stop and safely pass large vehicles; and with the haulage and agricultural industries on how to safely pass horses.

Gillian works in the forestry and agricultural industries. In these industries there are peak times when certain areas do need to be avoided; helping riders understand when these are would help to avoid difficult situations. Gillian believes that this could easily be done through existing BHS communication routes, which already provide a network to connect across the UK.

Another area of focus for Gillian is that the safety of the horse and rider can be extended to include safe fencing and safe stabling. Some of Gillian’s other areas of interest pertaining to equine safety include advice on turnout groups and winter turnout; safety both in the field and being visible on the road for those who turnout around work hours;  and coping with dark nights for much of the year. Gillian works full-time and fits her horses in as a hobby, she also drives large vehicles and farm machinery, so she understands fully the road challenges and challenges posed to the hobby rider of dark nights and frozen troughs.

Lucy has been ‘horse-mad’ her whole life, and was determined to work with them in some way or other. On qualifying as a vet from the University of Cambridge, she immediately started work in the headquarters of British horseracing, Newmarket. She undertook an internship at Rossdales Equine Hospital before going to work for a private racehorse breeding and training facility for seven years.

On starting a family of her own she returned to Rossdales as a member of the sports and pleasure horse ambulatory team. During her time in practice, Lucy was a member of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Council for ten years, serving as a member of the Equestrian Sports Committee and Chair of the Ethics and Welfare Committee and Equine Obesity Working Group. She was also co-opted onto the Horseracing Betting Levy Board Thoroughbred Research Consultation Group and represented BEVA and its members in many pan-industry settings, speaking at the National Equine Forum and World Horse Welfare Conferences. In 2018 she was elected as Junior Vice President and served as President from 2020-2021.

During her time on the BEVA Board, she was represented BEVA on the Welfare Committee of the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations (FEEVA).

In 2022 she left practice to pursue a permanent role at BEVA, as Veterinary Projects Officer. The following year, the FEEVA member associations elected her onto the FEEVA Board, where she now chairs the Pre-Purchase Examination Working Group.

Her passion is improving equine welfare and maximising the positive interaction between horse and human, which drives her work both within the veterinary industry and across the equestrian world.

Sandra's extensive and varied business experience with Waitrose, Coca-Cola, Cadbury’s and Molson Coors in leadership roles has seen her be a part of leading major programmes of change in IT and business processes. She is trained in project and programme governance. 

As well as working at Board level, Sandra has shaped business strategy, driven customer focus initiatives and created three-year operational plans for delivery, including digital projects. She is also experienced in management, team development and has a deep understanding of HR policies. 

Sandra has been involved with a number of volunteering initiatives in her local community including setting up the Bonsall Bridleways group and doing lots of bridleway clearing. 

Sam joined the BHS as a teenager to take her examinations and hasn’t looked back! Although she’s worked in other industries, she’s always been drawn back to the equestrian world due to her love of horses and desire to promote horse care and welfare.

Sam is a supporter of BHS assessments and how they educate those who care for horses to a high standard. She advocates for the BHS approvals scheme and how it upholds welfare standards in equestrian organisations.

As the listed proprietor at the Equestrian Centre based at Moulton College, she’s aware that the equestrian industry is under significant scrutiny, she would like to be part of the BHS to protect our industry's future.

Karen’s aims as a Trustee of the BHS are twofold. Firstly, to use her financial acumen and experience to support good financial management and governance, and good risk management, throughout the organisation. Secondly, to make a wider contribution to the campaigning and educational work of the BHS by using her experience as a horse owner and rider. 

Karen has board level experience of other membership organisations and has developed financial strategies for not-for-profit and charitable organisations, with understanding of the financial implications of strategic and operational plans. She is experienced in corporate, not-for-profit and charity governance, and management at board level; she has been part of, and chaired, board committees covering finance, audit, risk, nomination and remuneration and various aspects of strategy. 

Since retirement, Karen has committed herself to work only in the not-for-profit and charitable sectors to bring, pro bono, the professional and personal skills gained in her career. Through volunteering and managing other volunteers, Karen has developed an understanding of the complexity of satisfying member, volunteer, and beneficiary needs. 

A long-term member of the BHS and a horse owner, horses and equestrian sports are a major part of Karen’s life. She is passionate about the benefits that interaction with horses can bring to people in terms of physical and mental health and has first-hand knowledge as an owner and competitor of the many issues now faced by horses and riders.

Gill’s association with the BHS goes back to 2001 when she was a Riding and Road Safety officer and examiner and she has spent many years as Chairman of both BHS Dorset and BHS Somerset Committees separately, reinvigorating them, returning them to healthy finances and thriving Committees. In 2018, Gill stood and was duly elected as Chairman for the South West Region and is committed to seeing the South West Region go from strength to strength. Gill also fits in another role with the BHS, that of a Welfare Officer, a role she has held for many years now. 

Gill’s knowledge and support of the Society crosses all its diverse remit and she equally promotes education, access, safety, and welfare with the support of the teams she builds. For 20 years, her focus has always been outward facing and about what she can do for the BHS, its members, and other equestrians. She is a ‘giver’ of expertise, time, passion, enthusiasm, and friendliness and looks for, and never turns down, opportunities for the BHS to be involved in the wider equestrian community in the region. Gill has, and continues, to put a real enthusiasm and passion for the BHS into practical application. She has a way of bringing people with her and in turn cultivates the same ethos into others whether they are members, prospective members, or volunteers.

As a newly appointed Trustee to lead on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Beverley is keen to utilise her knowledge and skills to improve the experiences and attraction, of underrepresented groups in the equine industry.

Beverley comes with a wealth of business experience, leading projects on including business transformation, organisational change and performance improvement. In her role as a consultant, she was also involved with learning and development initiatives, particularly delivering on leadership and management programmes across different industries.

Her EDI experience has evolved from in-company committee and board roles within further education, sport and local government. She has led projects: to increase black and Asian managers from middle to senior management roles; to improve the aspirations of grassroots female athletics coaches to progress through to elite coaching status. Currently she performs a voluntary role as Chair of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Employee Network at Essex County Council, alongside her main role within organisational development and change.

Beverley will be leading the EDI Advisory Board to spearhead change to making diversity and inclusion part of the DNA of The British Horse Society.