Vital research to combat a killer horse disease has received a £15,000 boost thanks to two trailer companies marking a decade of working side by side.

North Wales-based Ifor Williams Trailers joined forces with one of its Scottish distributors, the Stirling Trailer Centre to donate a top-of-the-range horsebox to an online fundraising raffle in aid of Equine Grass Sickness (EGS).

The devastating condition is still one of the biggest causes of death in horses, ponies and donkeys across Britain – with eight in 10 cases proving fatal.

Sean Cooper, General Manager at Stirling Trailer Centre, said the firm became involved  after Managing Director Robin Gray attended a Rural Education Trust meeting where he heard at first-hand about the fight against EGS.

At the event, Robin learned more from Anne Logan, chair of the Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund (EGSF) – the only registered UK charity dedicated solely to tackling the disease.

Sean explained: “Robin heard about the campaign to raise awareness and the raffle idea to boost funds through social media. He immediately agreed to donate an Ifor Williams HBX506 horsebox, and Ifor Williams Trailers themselves stepped in to cover half the cost. We were thrilled to get their backing and it was great to partner with them as always.

“We have been an official Ifor Williams Trailers distributor for 10 years now so it has been a nice way to mark a decade of working together.

“We stock over 250 Ifor Williams trailers and are delighted to work closely with them.

“We are so pleased to have helped to get more exposure for the EGSF, it’s a horrible disease which can have a traumatic effect on the horses and their owners.

“We are happy to have supported the drive to try to find a cure for this disease and to stop the suffering of animals.

“We always try to help the local community and those involved in local agriculture and farming in particular.”

The EGSF is dedicated to supporting and advancing research into the disease and further improving the treatment of grass sickness, and is a division of the Penicuik-based Moredun Foundation charity

Anne Logan from EGSF thanked Ifor Williams Trailers and Stirling Trailer Centre for their support.

Anne, a farm and horse vet from Alloa near Stirling, said the online Crowdfunder initiative was a huge success, raising just over £15,000.

She said: “It was brilliant, it was the first time we had done something like that, and the reaction was terrific

“We struggle for funding, and research now is so expensive.

“It all costs money so we have to reach out to other organisations for support.

“We are eternally grateful to Ifor Williams and Stirling Trailer Centre for contributing to our fundraising

“We are absolutely blown away by their support, they’ve been very generous.

She added: “The disease is prevalent in parts of Scotland in particular, it seems to be an east coast problem here.

“The impact of the disease is tragic and the emotional impact when somebody loses a horse is so hard.

“The horse can be their life, it’s their pet.

“One chap we dealt with last year lost five out of his 30 horses, so that shows the impact.

“Basically the disease causes paralysis of the gut, it means the horse can’t swallow so the gut stops working, it’s a horrible disease.

Anne explained researchers believed EGS is caused by a toxin in grass which attacked the gut’s ability to work.

She said there may also be a genetic link to why some horses are affected by it.

But she said it was vital more research was done to look at what causes the disease, find ways to combat it and ultimately develop a vaccine.

Ifor Williams Trailers Marketing Manager Joe Pardoe said the firm was happy to help fund research into ESG.

He said: “Many of our customers are involved in equine pursuits and our horseboxes are a hugely popular product.

“The loss or suffering of a horse is heartbreaking for its owner and we are only too pleased to be doing our bit to help find a cure for ESG.

“We are proud to have formed such a close and successful working relationship with Stirling Trailer Centre over the last 10 years. They are a key distributor for us in Scotland.

“Both companies share the same ethos of supporting the equine community whenever we can.

“Finding a cure for ESG is so important to everyone who has horses, ponies and donkeys, and we are happy to have contributed to the research into the disease.”

The winner of the horsebox was picked at random and the prize went to Carol Cheshire of North Baddesley in Hampshire.

Carol and her husband Richard received the horsebox from Sean Cooper who travelled from Scotland to deliver the prize.

Carol, who has 10 horses, said she was prompted to take part in the raffle by a friend who has a horse which suffered from ESG.

She said: “I’m thrilled to have won and totally shocked, I don’t think I have won anything in my life, so this might be the first.

“I bought the raffle tickets because I knew the money would be going towards research into EGS.

“I know a lot about EGS because one of my friends who lives in Scotland has a horse which got sick with EGS and thankfully survived it, and she encouraged everyone to buy the raffle tickets.

“I’m really pleased to have supported research into EGS and in fact made a donation separately from the raffle to support the research work because it’s really important and I am really grateful to have received the horsebox.”