The FEI initially set aside CHF 1million (£882,000/$1 million/€1.1 million) to assist the Ukraine equestrian community, and was later assisted by fundraising efforts from the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).

"Our general approach has been about supporting and leading initiatives to provide relief to the Ukrainian equestrian community rather than distributing money," said FEI solidarity director Jean Philippe Camboulives.

"When the conflict began and there was a desperate need to relocate horses, we initially set up a logistical hub in Granat, located in western Ukraine between the city of Lviv and the Polish border, to prepare horses for transfer into the European Union.

"However, as time went on, we quickly realised we could provide a lot of relief to horse owners by helping them keep their horses in safer regions within Ukraine, and for this, we purchased a number of horse boxes which have been set up in strategic hubs around Ukraine, providing hundreds of horses with a safe place to stay.

"Funding and distribution to regional hubs of critical horse supplies such as feed, bedding, and medication are also among the initiatives the FEI is supporting through the Solidarity Relief Fund."

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The fund has also supplied athlete scholarships and provided training support for young athletes.

An encouraging development was the participation of Danylo Konovalov, 17, and Diana Borovyk, 21, in this summer’s FEI Dressage European Championships for Juniors and Young Riders held in Hartpury in Britain.

Both athletes had been selected to receive scholarship grants based on the existing FEI Solidarity Athlete Scholarship scheme to support training and competition-related preparation with the ultimate goal of representing Ukraine at FEI Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Borovyk survived the blockade of Sumy, a town located in north-eastern Ukraine, which was among the first to be invaded by Russian troops in March.

She took up residence in her local equestrian centre to be with her horses while the war raged around her.

Assistance was also provided to five young vaulting athletes - Polina Shovkova, 14, sisters Katya and Jenya Panasenko, aged 14 and 11 respectively, Sonia Shulga, 14 and Marta Lopaienko, 15, who became the first team to ever represent Ukraine in an international vaulting event when they participated in CVI1* in Kaposvár, Hungary from May 20 to 22.

The team’s participation in Kaposvár came just a few months after the riders had fled their hometown of Poltava in central Ukraine to escape the war.

They stayed and trained in Bernolákovo, a suburb of Bratislava in Slovakia.

Another noteworthy initiative was the purchase of equine medicines and veterinary supplies for distribution to Ukrainian veterinarians.

Some 7,400 kilograms of veterinary supplies were distributed with the help of 22 veterinarians throughout Ukraine to treat common conditions such as colic, infections, and lameness for 5,700 horses.

"Help in key areas has been provided, but the needs are dire," said FEI President and chair of the FEI Solidarity Committee Ingmar de Vos.

"We are headed into an uncertain winter and are confronted with strong demand for aid and shelter.

"The price of hay has skyrocketed and thousands of horses in the war zones are at risk of starvation.

"Such a drastic situation can only be alleviated through solidarity and cooperation.

"The European Equestrian Federation, and National Federations such as Great Britain, Poland, and Slovakia have stepped in to assist in various domains.

"Every bit counts and we appeal to all those who can to join the effort.

"We had hoped the situation on the ground would improve by the end of this year but things have in fact worsened.

"We are very aware that we are in for the long run and we are conscious that this war will have long-lasting repercussions on the Ukrainian people and their sporting industries.

"They can count on our continuous and tireless support."