Brough Scott and Simon Holt resign from Moorcroft Centre in trustee dispute

An internal conflict between the board of trustees at the Moorcroft Racehorse Welfare Centre has led to the resignation of four members, including prominent racing figures Brough Scott and Simon Holt.

The Moorcroft Racehorse Welfare Centre, a registered charity, was founded in 1999 and specialises in the rehabilitation and retraining of ex-racehorses. But tensions among the board reached breaking point on Monday when four members tendered their resignations, following on from two resignations last year.

Chairman Tim Fox and Brenda Karn-Smith, who assisted with the purchase of Huntingrove Stud in Horsham, West Sussex in 2001, where Moorcroft is based, were the other trustees to leave the charity on Monday along with Scott and Holt.

Simon Holt: resigned from charity on MondayCredit: Edward Whitaker

The actions of fellow trustee Nigel Neville were cited as the reasons for the departures. Karn-Smith said on Thursday: "Mr Neville was a very good friend of mine. When my late husband died six years ago, he was a tower of strength and had been a close friend of the family for some time.

"He helped us with a little problem we had at Moorcroft a couple of years ago and I suggested to the board of trustees he would make an excellent trustee because of his legal expertise.

"He was duly appointed and all went well for a bit. But then there seemed to be something of a power struggle, which seems ridiculous for a small charity where we consider ourselves to be family and work exclusively for the benefit of retired racehorses."

Karn-Smith added: "It came to a head when he said he was going to report us to the Charity Commission as a serious incident. One trustee does not take legal advice against his fellow trustees in my opinion, you talk it through.

"It's a very painful situation and I hope the charity will be a success under the new board of trustees. For the sake of the horses I hope it continues to flourish."

Moorcroft has held a highly successful charity raceday at Plumpton in October for many years, and Fox said: "I've run the Plumpton raceday for the last ten years, and we've raised over £70,000 a year from that, which is a considerable sum in the context of Moorcroft's finances."

When asked if the changes to the board's members could place the day under threat, Fox added: "It could."

Scott, who is involved in various charities including his role as chairman for the Injured Jockeys Fund, said: "I'm very sad about this. I'm not a person who falls out in a hurry but I can't put up with this. Charities are about trying to help people and when you start having rows it's ludicrous."

When contacted by the Racing Post, Mr Neville declined to comment on the matter, having taken advice from Moorcroft's solicitors and the Charity Commission.

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