Jigsaw MEPT

04/04/2025

31/03/2025

30/03/2025

Looking beautiful, well done Monica.

29/03/2025

Lucy using new balancing equipment and practising juggling without a saddle on Bob. Great work Lucy.

23/03/2025

Latest creation! Xx

23/03/2025

No bees, no garden—let’s protect our pollinators! 🐝🌸🌍

22/03/2025

The big pond was full of fighting frogs today.

22/03/2025

Everything is looking so lovely at Rainbows End. 🥰

21/03/2025

My fundraiser is struggling 😢 and needs your help! With only ONE WEEK TO GO I have only raised just over £100, which sadly does not even cover the value of the Top 3 Prizes!

** There are 15 PRIZES on offer, which are WORTH MORE THAN £300, and tickets are just £1 ** 🎁

My previous draws have been very successful and well supported, so this is a total surprise. Although promoted as a Mother's Day draw, these prizes are also suitable for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas or just to say 'Thank You' to a special person in your life 💝

Could you go without 1 posh coffee and buy some tickets instead? ALL monies raised will go toward helping fund the Rescue for the VERY BUSY upcoming 🌷 Spring Season and the anticipated influx, especially of babies and those with gardening injuries.

Please message Carole Mckone direct to buy tickets. They are just £1 and the draw will take place on Wed 26th.

Please spread the word and share with your friends and other groups. THANK YOU!

20/03/2025

Charlie modelling his new fly sheet today! 🥰

18/03/2025

Another Easter box off to one of our lovely families who help out at Jigsaw. 🥰

17/03/2025

Peter Lamb from Virgin Media with Tim Carr discussing the work that the Virgin Media volunteers will be doing to improve the site for wildlife and people.

16/03/2025

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐄𝐈’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Another initiative. Another promise. Another well-meaning attempt to address equine welfare in horse sports. But will it actually work? Or will this, like so many before it, be reduced to nothing more than pretty words on a forgotten press release?

Dr. Andrew McLean’s partnership with the FEI is a major stepbone that brings equitation science to the forefront. But for those of us who have spent years fighting for better treatment of horses in sport, skepticism is warranted. How many times have we seen committees form, reports get published, and yet, behind the scenes, nothing really changes?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

The biggest obstacle? Tradition. The equestrian world is steeped in it. Riders, trainers, and judges have spent their lives operating on “what’s always been done.” Some are open to change, but many see modern science-based training as a threat rather than a solution.

We already know that the evidence is there. The ISES First Principles of Training are backed by research that proves they improve welfare and performance simultaneously. We know that horses learn better when they are trained with clarity and reinforcement rather than force and coercion. Yet, despite this, the resistance to change is fierce.

And let’s be honest, the FEI itself has been painfully slow to act on welfare concerns in the past. Rollkur? Years of outcry before they took action. Tight nosebands? Still rampant, despite growing evidence of their harm. Hyperflexion, excessive pressure, questionable training methods, these things still show up in warm-up rings at the highest levels of sport.

Will 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗘𝗜 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲?

Here’s where the real test lies. It’s not enough to introduce principles. They have to be enforced.

• 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙨?

• 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 (𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜) 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜?

• 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙨?

If the answer to these questions is no, then this collaboration, despite all its potential, will be nothing more than another empty gesture.

𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘃𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

For those of us fighting for equine welfare, this partnership is both exciting and frustrating. Exciting, because Dr. McLean’s influence could push real, science-backed change into mainstream training. Frustrating, because we know change in equestrian sport is slow, and it’s up against deeply ingrained resistance.

So will this work? It depends. If riders, trainers, judges, and governing bodies actually listen, if they embrace what equitation science is telling us, then yes, this could be the shift we’ve been waiting for.

But if the FEI fails to enforce its own welfare commitments? If it continues to protect top riders at the expense of horses? Then this will be just another disappointment in a long line of missed opportunities.

The horses don’t get a say in this. It’s up to us to make sure this isn’t just another failed promise.

Good Luck Dr. Andrew McLean, you’ll need it and don’t be influenced by brown envelopes. 💰

15/03/2025

Lucy also tidying the round about with the wood from last weeks adventure.

15/03/2025

Lucy, another of our brilliant volunteers working on her bare back riding on Bob this morning. 👍👍👍

15/03/2025

Monica doing great work getting ready for visitors at Rainbows End,looking forward to welcoming visitors. June. We wouldn’t be able to keep going without our lovely volunteers. 🥰

12/03/2025

Our Jigsaw crafting team have put together these lovely hampers for one of their favourite local charities and the lovely Sharon from Cleopatras in Eccleston has put the final touches together for us.