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. 

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.

With a defined focus on the traditional, heavy working breeds, we set about helping to aid the recovery of the heavies in several ways – by breeding horses, by training people in the care and handling of these horses, by demonstrating that horse-power is still a sensible option in certain situations and by encouraging wider interest in and ownership of the heavy horse breeds.

Getting the Trust off the ground was an enormous undertaking.  Having moved to Eridge and rented 100 acres of somewhat derelict land, the first priority was to make a proper base and get some buildings up. Relying entirely on a small band of committed volunteers, and  severely under-funded, it was a major challenge to create a working farm out of nothing.  Everything had to be done the hard way from creating permanent pastures out of poor quality set-aside land, fencing paddocks and getting mains water, to constructing housing for the Trust’s 23 horses, barns for hay and equipment, and workshops. 

If this wasn’t enough, behind the scenes a whole new administrative and fundraising framework had to be put into place as The Trust had no office, a very low profile and negligible income. Gradually though, through sheer hard work and determination, everything started to come together.

It has been a long, hard road and the Trust has encountered some major set-backs along the way, not least of which have been two serious burglaries, but over the past thirteen years, with the help of some extraordinarily dedicated people and extremely generous supporters, the Trust has become established and developed into a busy organization and successful breeder of Suffolk and Ardennes horses.  It now has 700 members and more than 70 registered volunteers, 20 horses and a flock of Southdown sheep.  Its year is packed with a mix of fundraising events – Pleasure Rides, Barn Dance, Sponsored Walk, Race Night, Open Days at the farm, outside shows and demonstrations, and its own Eridge Heavy Horse Show.

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