At The Horse Trust, we’re committed to protecting not just the horses in our care but also the environment they call home. From measuring our carbon footprint to preserving the rich biodiversity of our Chilterns sanctuary, we’re taking meaningful steps to ensure a greener future. Read on to discover how we’re embracing sustainability – and how you can get involved!

Carbon Calculators: Our First Steps Towards Sustainability!

Last month, we introduced our plans to centralise sustainability within our work at The Horse Trust – whether that be around the site where we care for our herd, in the facilities our wider team uses, or in the policies and procedures we follow.

For our first step on this journey, we decided to make use of the newly launched Equine Carbon Calculator, a tool designed to help horse keepers and equine organisations like us measure their carbon footprint. This tool is recommended by the National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) for use by its member organisations, of which we are one, giving us the confidence that it was the perfect place to start.

A small group of team members set about collecting and inputting information about our site and the utilities we use – it was a great team exercise and motivated us to build on a whole-team approach in the future! Not only did this benchmark our starting point, but it also immediately helped us identify hotspots in electricity and water use, pointing us towards some logical next steps.

We’d love to hear your ideas on how we can continue to improve our sustainability efforts. Get in touch at info@horsetrust.org.uk.

🔗 More information about the Equine Carbon Calculator can be found here.

Spring Watch in Speen: Celebrating Biodiversity and Wildlife

With World Wildlife Day just behind us, we took a moment to honour our resident ‘wildcat’, Ninja, on social media. But cats and, of course, horses aren’t the only species that roam our pastures and woodland!

You may have read last month about our newly introduced flock of sheep, but our haven in the Chiltern countryside is also teeming with incredible wildlife. From the rhythmic drumming of woodpeckers to the silent swoop of swallows, swifts, and owls; from the rustling of foxes in the undergrowth to the graceful leap of deer – nature truly thrives here.

Wild spaces like ours are vital for the well-being of both domestic and wild animals. They provide sanctuary, promote biodiversity, and offer a connection to the natural world that we must cherish and protect.

With that in mind, and with spring just around the corner, why not bring your binoculars this Easter Holidays for the grand reopening of our Woodland Walk? You never know what wonders you might spot!

📅 Book your tickets here.