The Working Horse Trust - from Humble Beginnings

The Working Horse Trust is the only charity of its kind in the UK.  It was formed some 20 years ago with the aim of helping to protect and promote working horses and other traditional breeds of livestock.  The Trust struggled to get going in the early days and it wasn’t until 1993, when it came under new management, that things really began to happen.  Richard Branscombe and Jo Ambrose, both volunteers with the Trust at the time, took up the reins, moved the Trust to its present home on the Nevill Estate near Tunbridge Wells, Kent early in 1994 and set about bringing some of the the charity’s ideals to life.

Heavy horses such as the Shire, the Suffolk and the Clydesdale were once the powerhouses of farming, industry, transport, forestry and the military but had been in decline since the advent of modern machinery.  Their numbers had plummeted to such an alarming extent that by the mid-50s, early 60s they look set to disappear.  Were it not for a handful of enthusiasts, who continued breeding heavy horses, we could have lost these magnificent creatures entirely, not to mention the skills required to work with them.  By the early 90s all of the breeds were enjoying a modest recovery, but much remained (and does so still) to secure the future of this most important part of our natural heritage.  The Suffolk horse is particularly endangered, with only around 300 registered animals in this country; the Shire is a ‘minority’ breed and the Clydesdale classified to ‘be at risk’ by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

© Sue Wingate - The Joy of Horses 2006