We wanted Poppy our War Horse to be more than just a national and Commonwealth monument. We thought a fitting tribute to recognise the service and sacrifice of tens of millions of animals over countless wars would be to create a living legacy; a way of supporting today’s equine and military welfare charities.

The purple poppy was chosen as a symbol to remember animals in war and we chose August 23 as Purple Poppy Day to coincide with the Battle of Mons. It was there that horses were first involved in the war in a British cavalry attack against the Germans. It was the last cavalry charge on the Western Front. Many men and animals lost their lives.

Speaking with other charities and organisations we agreed to create and register The Animal Purple Poppy Fund as a way of fundraising. This is launched every year on June 8, the date we unveiled our beautiful War Horse in Ascot. It was achieved through the sale of metal pin badges for humans, and our knitted purple poppies for horses, donkeys, dogs and cats to wear on their bridles and collars.

Our volunteers make sure boxes of purple poppies are on sale in pet shops, vets