Meet OUR PEOPLE
Daily care of the herd is in the knowledgeable, experienced hands of Tracey and our small devoted core team members, Freya Dobson and Mollie Eidsforth. Completed by our expert Partners-in-Care, we’re fortunate to have a handful of dedicated Volunteers who lend us some of their valuable time and talents on the yard, while our invaluable Support Team, including our on-line community, helps is manage through the thick and thin of every day.
CORE Team
Tracey Alexander
Founder & Managing Director
Tracey discovered her love of horses—especially black horses--at a young age. Fortunately, she was born into a family with a direct connection to the equine world. In the 1950’s, her great-grandfather, Major Tom Dixon, had successfully raised and trained racehorses at Greenbank Farm in Cumbria, which has been in their family for over 110 years. At age 9, head over heels with all things “horse” and desperate to become a jockey, Tracey wrote to a local racehorse trainer, asking what she had to do to become one. No doubt familiar with the fanaticism of young horse-love, he kindly replied that she should come back at 16 when of an age to be considered, and if she was light enough….
Freya Dobson
Horse Care, Yard & Admin Assistant
As Admin Extraordinaire and Executive Producer of Frey Days, Freya has grown up on the farm around the horses, first visiting us when she was just 18 months old! She's become a true "Jill of All Trades" at The Friesian Experience. On any given day, you may find her in the office managing administrative tasks such as packaging up merchandise for shipping, updating the website, or getting ready for the next event. But you will also find her out of the office on the yard with the horses doing the day-to-day tasks such as prepping feeds, tidying up the stables, or pampering one of the boys or girls--whatever it takes to provide the best care and support to the Black Beauties and their visitors.
Freya has a special relationahip with Oebe, her quirky yet loveable companion who she affectionately calls "Weirdo". They enjoy ground work and just hanging about with one another. She continues to grow in her important role at the Farm.
Mollie May Eidsforth
Horse Care and Welfare Assistant
Much to our good fortune, Mollie became a part of our Friesian Family in September 2025. A life-long lover of animals, with a particular passion for horses, she’s worked all aspects of caring for them and their environments—from providing individual wellness and medically-guided care, to riding, training, and yard maintenance, to coordinating with the humans that interact with them—all guided by understanding and listening to behaviors. Whether working at a stud farm or equestrian centre, Mollie has always had the horse’s welfare at the forefront of her approach as particularly evidenced by her time with Horses and Ponies Protection Association (HAPPA) and the British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre (BTRC).
In continual pursuit of her desire to make a life’s work with horses, she’s also held jobs in the hospitality and human care areas. This speaks of her character, drive and work ethic. Along with an openness and commitment to learning, a high standard of work product, and a wonderful sense of humor, Mollie has proven a wonderful fit at the Sanctuary. Ask any of the people or horses—they’ll agree (especially Annie)!
When not at the Sanctuary, Mollie pursues her other passions: making art (for which, in our opinion, she has considerable talent) and raising her beautiful young daughter, Mayla. We feel fortunate to have Mollie on our team and look forward to growing together in the years ahead!
Jodie Swan
Holistic Trainer
As Personal Trainer to the Friesians and Wellness Coach to all, Jodie has been an invaluable team member since joining the Sanctuary in 2013. She’s passionate and knowledgeable about the welfare and wellbeing of both animals and humans. Over the years, she has gotten to know all the Friesians well—their personalities and physical capabilities—and in tandem with Tracey and our other team members, works both on the ground and in the saddle to help the horses achieve their best fitness and wellbeing. In addition, she loves meeting our visitors and seeing the amazing interactions and resulting positive change they can experience from time with the horses.
In addition to her work with us, Jodie is a shepherdess and small-scale traditional farmer. She and her partner, Phil, raise sheep and cattle with the assistance of beloved collies Jim, Nell, and their two babies, Ted and Moss. 2025 was a banner year for Jodie and her partner, Phil, as they not only were granted tenancy of one of the stunning Lake District farms but also welcomed their beautiful daughter, Mabel, into the world! While we'll see a bit less of Jodie at Greenbank as she pursues her long-worked-for dreams, she hopes to come back to work with the horses a bit down the road. In the meantime, we'll see her for the occasional coffee time--and regardless, she'll always be an important part of our Sanctuary family.