Equine charity the Brooke has opened its first fundraising base in the USA, with plans to expand its fundraising into other countries.

The Brooke has had an American presence since 2009 through the American Friends of the Brooke, which is run by volunteers.

Brendon Elliott, head of international fundraising at the Brooke, told civilsociety.co.uk that the charity sees the USA as a market with a lot of potential and has hired its first dedicated fundraiser to exploit it.

The Brooke has chosen Lexington, Kentucky, as the location for its base in the USA and has hired fundraising development manager, Cindy Rullman, who will coordinate the fundraising efforts for American Friends of the Brooke in the United States.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, the Brooke’s president, opened the new USA office earlier this month.

Currently serving her second term as president, the Duchess said: "Having seen for myself the wonderful work the Brooke does in their clinics in Cairo and Pakistan to help the suffering of working animals, it makes me incredibly proud to be the president of this unique charity and to follow its course with enormous interest.”

As well as opening a base in the USA, Elliott said the Brooke was looking further afield too. “We are considering expanding our fundraising into other countries which we operate in such as India or Egypt.”

The Brooke currently fundraises in the UK, the Netherlands and most recently the USA.