ABOUTUS

BIO: VIVIAN GRANT FARRELL
Vivian Farrell, the founder and president of what is now
known as the Int'l Fund for Horses, initially formed her
equine protection organization in February, 2003, but
began officially on October 3, 2003 when she launched the
Fund's website.
Born just across the Mersey River from Liverpool in a
small village in Cheshire, England, she got her first pony at
the age of four, and has owned and ridden horses
throughout her life.
"My earliest memories are of going racing with my father
and uncle. And playing with the horses and sheep in the nearby pastures," she states.
"Then of course there were my own horses. Taking care of them taught me responsibility
at a very early age because my dad made me take care of them myself. It was all very
glamorous . . . all that mucking out, grooming and tack cleaning!"
She came to America the first time at the age of 8 and lived in Kentucky. Her father, a
medical doctor, was also a small-time breeder of Thoroughbreds.
Journeying back and forth from America to England became a lifelong pattern, although
subsequent returns to the U.S. landed her in what was to become her home state of
Texas. Vivian did not mind the itinerant lifestyle, but one of the few demands she ever
made of her father was that wherever they went, her horses had to go with her.
Often the "new kid on the block," she could always depend on the constancy and loyalty
of her equine family. "No matter what challenges life threw at me, I always knew when I
got home my horses would be there for me," she adds, "and everything would be
alright."
Upon graduation from college, Vivian worked in the legal and recruiting fields in the
U.S. and England. After years of working 9 to 5, Vivian yearned for something more. A
lifelong photographer, she decided to combine her love and knowledge of horses with
her camera skills, and pursued a career as a Thoroughbred racing photographer. Basing
herself in Newmarket, Suffolk in England, the HQ of British racing, she followed the
racing circuit throughout the UK. However, demand for her talents took her further
afield to countries such as Ireland, France, Sweden, and even Saudi Arabia.
Although she photographed horses primarily for owners and breeders, she also
exhibited from time to time at the Horseracing Museum in Newmarket. Her was also
published in equine magazines, newspapers, and other specialist publications.
Collectors of her work included members of the British and Saudi royal families.