She said: "Thank you to all those involved. It proves you can bring together different bodies with different agendas. This Protocol has done that and we should be grateful for it.

"There is a very good chance of national implementation. The Protocol is the beginning. The Fund will make it work in the long term and needs large capital sums now to make that happen." She added: "An accident is not something horse owners would wish to happen, but if it does happen, they would want the right back-up."

The Protocol sets out a national standard with procedural guidelines for police and fire services with large animal rescue. Its creation was triggered by the rising number of horses dying slow, painful deaths in widely reported accidents on the roads and elsewhere.

The aim of the new code is to minimise delays in injured animals receiving veterinary care, to maximise the chances of a positive outcome for the animal and to ensure the safety of all those involved.

An Emergency Services Protocol Fund has also been established, kicked off with a donation of £6000 by the BHS, which will guarantee that there is no delay in injured horses receiving veterinary care when their owners cannot be traced.

The fund will also pay for rescue training and specialist lifting and rescue equipment for the emergency services. By the end of the launch, the Fund was said to be topping £27,000.

Graham Cory, BHS Chief Executive, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have already contributed to the Fund. The more the Fund grows, the greater will be the good we can do, and the better chance we will have of reducing the suffering of horses when we are now their only possible means of urgent help."

BEVA President Professor Josh Slater said: "The Protocol is a most important equine welfare initiative with which we are proud to be associated. The fund is vital for the successful implementation of the Protocol and we are delighted with the generous and universal support that the fund has received from the horse industry."

Vet Tim Adams, whose family lost a beloved horse in an accident where procedure did not work well, and Jim Green, Rural Safety Officer with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, spoke in support of the initiative from their experience of the reality of horse rescue.

HRH The Princess Royal has thanked the groups involved in the Emergency Services Protocol and Fund, which she launched at a Buckingham Palace reception in May 2008.

She presented the Protocol - created by The British Horse Society (BHS) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) - to representatives from all areas of the horse industry.

HRH The Princess Royal meets a number of Veterinary Surgeons honoured to be invited to Buckingham Palace for the launch of the Emergency Services Protocol .

Greenmount veterinary clinic has signed up to be involved in the Emergency Services Protocol to assist horses involved in road traffic accidents and incidents involving the emergency services.

“Our reason for being here is to maintain the health of your pets & horses.”