A new look for our next century of action

As World Horse Welfare unveils its refreshed brand, our Chief Executive Roly Owers reflects on why change matters, how supporters helped shape the new identity and why helping more horses remains at the heart of every decision we make. 

---

Why change our brand now? 

As we introduce World Horse Welfare’s refreshed brand, one question I fully expect to hear is: why change anything? After all, we are approaching our centenary year, so surely, we have been doing something right? And didn’t we change our name and our logo in 2008? 

The answer is simple. The world has changed enormously, not only since we were founded in 1927 but also since 2008. And it’s only right that we evolve along with it. 

For the past decade, we’ve been talking about how our understanding of what horses need to have a good life grows by leaps and bounds each year. As our knowledge develops, our practices have to evolve too alongside this – and keep evolving. It would seem strange if we did not apply that same thinking to how our charity presents itself in a changing world. 

An evolution, not a revolution

This refreshed brand is an evolution, not a revolution.  

We are still the exact same charity you know and trust. Our purpose remains the same, as does our commitment to improving horses’ lives through a practical, evidence-based and compassionate approach. Almost 100 years after our founding, our mission is every bit as relevant today as it was then. Horses continue to face welfare challenges around the world, and we remain focused on helping horses in need today while creating lasting change for the future through care, research, education and influence. 

As we approach our centenary, however, we want to ensure World Horse Welfare is well-positioned to help more horses globally in our second century of action.  

Helping more people understand our work 

To do that, we want to help more people understand our work, expand our influence and inspire others to join us.  

Many people know us for our rescue and rehoming work in Britain, but that’s only part of what we do. We work across every aspect of horse welfare, helping horses in need today while driving change for the future through education, research and advocacy all around the world.  

Yet much of that work is not as widely understood as it could be.

Why World Horse Welfare has refreshed its identity 

We worked with the charity brand agency Red Stone and gathered feedback about our brand from supporters, staff, trustees, our partners and others.  

What we heard was remarkably consistent. People wanted a bolder and more contemporary identity that reflected both our heritage and our ambitions for the future. They wanted a look that better reflected the determined spirit of our founder, Ada Cole, and the breadth, energy and international reach of our work today. 

Those insights helped shape our new identity. 

A horse that reflects our vision for the future

At the heart of our new logo is a horse who feels more relaxed and optimistic, reflecting the positive change we want to see in every horse’s life. The horse is intentionally not of any particular type and could represent a sport horse or companion horse or semi-feral horse, reflecting our commitment to improving the lives of all horses. 

Rooted in heritage, ready for the future 

The refreshed identity honours our history while helping us communicate more effectively in a rapidly changing, digital world.

Clearer, more accessible design elements will help us connect with more people and inspire support for horses in the years ahead, ensuring our message reaches more people, wherever they encounter World Horse Welfare. 

Capturing the energy and reach of our work 

The variety of brand colours adds vibrancy to our look and better reflects the diversity of countries, cultures and contexts in which we work, while graphic elements inspired by the horse’s mane add some of the dynamism and spirit which I think really reflects how we work. 

The result is a visual identity that better reflects both the charity we are today and our ambitions for the future, while remaining firmly rooted in the values that have guided us since 1927. 

A practical and cost-conscious approach 

Ever the practical charity, we have approached this refresh throughout with an ethos of minimising costs, and the refresh will be introduced gradually over time. We will continue using existing stock before we replace it, which means you will probably see some old logos around on signs, uniforms and other materials during the transition period over the coming months.  

Looking ahead to our centenary year 

We could not pass up the opportunity to use our privileged position of being Burghley Horse Trials’ Charity of the Year to introduce our new look ahead of our centenary celebrations later this year.  

We hope it will help more people discover World Horse Welfare, understand our work and see how they can support better lives for horses. And when the inevitable question comes, “Why did you change it?”, I, along with anyone else at our charity, will be very happy to answer.  

As we celebrate everything that has been achieved for horses over the past century, we are also looking ahead. The challenges facing horses continue to change and there is still much to do. If more horses are to enjoy the good lives they deserve, we need to inspire more people to discover, understand and support our work.

That is what this refresh is designed to help us do. 

---

Thank you for being part of our story so far. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without you, and we hope you will continue to stand with horses – and encourage others to join us – as we begin our next chapter. 

Because every horse matters. Everywhere. Always.