By Alice

Once upon a time the farmer had four little boys who loved to ride their fluffy ponies through the wild wilderness of Northumberland.  Those little boys though grew into bigger boys and moved on from fluffy ponies to more mechanical diversions.  The farmer was happy to see her boys grow but missed their ponies more than she realised.

Meanwhile the farm was developing too.  The farmer was learning how important soil structure and microbial life is to fertility, productivity and carbon sequestration. Action was taken to reduce tillage and crop rotations and livestock plans were focused towards greatest soil health.  The heavy tractor, whilst still essential, was spending more time in the shed to protect the soil from compaction.

So it came about that the farmer realised that she could indulge her love of ponies and contribute to the welfare of the farm by learning to work horses. Click the following link to see Alice’s first experiences with draught horses at Hitch In Farm, Devon.