A WOMAN who rehabilitates neglected and unwanted horses has received a special award for her dedication and hard work.

Sue Gessey, 45, who runs the Animal Healing Trust near Wythall, received a special award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) at the House of Lords earlier this week.

The horse healer founded the trust with partner Richard Keogh in 2008 to care for homeless and suffering horses and give them a secure home.

She said: “Almost by accident our charity created itself out of the need to provide a safe haven for horses that people had given up on and sometimes the horses had even given up on themselves.

“We are hoping this prestigious award will raise our profile and bring us some more funding so we can expand our projects and bring stability to our existing ones.”

Since the trust opened, more than 20 horses have been rescued.

Robbie Marsland, from IFAW, said: “We are very pleased to be able to reward Sue’s amazing dedication to improving the welfare of horses and wanted to recognise her outstanding contribution to animal welfare with our special care award.”