The Working Horse Trust is a registered charity, run entirely by volunteers, which is devoted to safeguarding the future of our Heavy Working Horse Breeds.  The only organisation of its kind, the Trust is also an environmental group and we aim to translate our love of Heavy Horses and concern for the countryside into action that protects the future of both - hence our motto - 'Harnessing Horse Power to Help the Environment' We rely heavily on enthusiastic and committed people from all walks of life to undertake the many and varied tasks associated with managing the Trust, caring for its horses and carrying out conservation projects.
In establishing a working farm and undertaking a wide range of conservation activities, the Trust aims to demonstrate just how valuable working horses can still be in a rural economy and show how they can make a positive contribution to the good husbandry of our environment.

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The Working Horse Trust at  Forge Wood Farm The Estate Office, Sham Farm, Eridge Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. TN3 9JA.   01892 750105

One of the key activities of The Working Horse Trust is to demonstrate and promote the sympathetic use of Heavy Horses in countryside management.  The charity is very much conservation-led and its practical work is focused on a major farm restoration and conservation project which entails rehabilitating around 100 acres of neglected farmland in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  The idea behind this project is to actually show how well Heavy Horses still fit in with modern-day activities.

As well as creating a productive farm, individual projects to be undertaken include pond restoration, hedgerow and tree planting, the creation of wildflower meadows, the creation of a farm & woodland nature walk, public footpath clearance, and  woodland management and habitat restoration.  All this with the help of our horses, and what better way to show how valuable they really are in the countryside at work.  There is much to do so we are always happy to welcome new volunteers and can offer a range of projects to suit most interests.  We are particularly keen that everyone has the opportunity to learn to work with the horses, though this is by no means compulsory.  Lack of experience is no problem as enthusiasm, dedication and a willingness to 'muck-in' wherever help is needed are the qualities we value most highly among our team.

	Benjamin  with his mother Apricot Pictures show him just a few hours old Born on 15th May 2001
Another new Foal has also arrived - 'Ellie-May'

What can you do to help the Trust?

The Trust is, as yet, a small charity funded almost entirely by public generosity and the fundraising efforts of its supporters.  Membership to The Trust is perhaps the most effective way in which you can help us to care for our horses and progress our work, particularly if your subscription is via Bankers Order and Deed of Covenant.  However, donations are always most welcome and the kindness of a bequest sincerely appreciated.  Extra pairs of hands are often needed so that is why we run a volunteer program - you may care to spend some of your free time with us and the horses - and help with fundraising activities is, of course, something we always need.  If you can't become actively involved with The Trust, you might like to consider adopting one of our horses and taking a special interest in our work that way.  However you would like to support The Trust you can be assured that your money or time will be well spent and that it will be a valued contribution to our efforts.

What benefits does Trust Membership offer?

First of all, Trust Members can visit Forge Wood Farm at any time.  Members receive a membership card, car sticker and a quarterly news letter and are also entitled to a discount on the formal training courses we offer.  There is an annual Member's Dinner and members also receive invitations to Trust fundraising events
 throughout the year.

Important Notes for Volunteers

Health and Safety - The Working Horse Trust does everything it can to ensure that you are well protected whilst you are working with us, but you must take special care around the horses and when using equipment, and be concerned for your own welfare as well as those around you (including visitors).  We have dust masks and protective gloves should you wish to use them. We strongly recommend that your Tetanus protection is up to date.  A first aid box is located in the staff room.  Please notify the Trust if you have any of the following conditions, they will not exclude you from volunteering, but we would like to be in a position to give immediate assistance should it be required. All information will be kept strictly confidential.........

Clothing - Comfortable, hard wearing clothes that you don't mind getting dirty are the most sensible things to wear.  Bring waterproofs if you think it might rain.  Stout shoes or boots that grip in the wet and could protect your feet from the weight of a Shire are strongly recommended.  No steel toe-caps please - they are potentially dangerous to your toes (unless they are of the new variety specially designed to withstand horse pressure). If you think you may become a regular volunteer, we can offer you a discount on Trust T-shirts and Sweat shirts.

Refreshments - The Trust can keep you well supplied with Tea & Coffee throughout the day. We do not have the facilities to provide food - so please bring a packed lunch with you.

Insurance - The Trust is covered by full Employers' Liability Insurance through NFU Mutual.

Under 16s - Could we please ask you to supply written confirmation from your parents that they are happy with you doing voluntary work for the Trust and that they accept the risks involved (albeit minimal). We regret that we cannot accept volunteers under the age of 14 unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult who will supervise them.

Next of Kin - Please ensure that the Trust is given the name of the person(s) who should be notified in the event of an accident or emergency.

Fire Precautions - Smoking is not allowed in the Barns. Elsewhere, please ensure that all cigarettes are extinguished carefully.

Personal Property - The Trust cannot accept responsibility for your personal belongings so please be careful with valuables such as cameras.

Anyone with a love of the outdoors and Heavy Horses and a concern for the environment will find helping out at The Working Horse Trust an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

We do like to feel that we give something back to our volunteers so we aim to give you every opportunity to learn new skills, to relax in the fresh air, to have fun, and to enjoy the companionship of other like-minded people.  We hope that the sense of achievement that comes with being involved in a worthwhile project that has the welfare of our environment at its heart is one of the many benefits you will gain from lending us your much needed (and much appreciated) support.

A snippet of useful information about Horses and Wagons!

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe (and England) were built by Imperial Rome for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts? Roman war chariots first made the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels and wagons. Since the chariots were made for, or by Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Specifications and bureaucracies live forever. So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder which horse's rear came up with it, you may be exactly right. Because the Imperial Roman war chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war-horses.

There's an interesting extension to the story about railroad gauges and horses' behinds. When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. Thiokol makes the SRBs at their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory had to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses behinds. So, the major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined by the width of a Horse's ass!

	Hamish  with his mother  Ruby Pictures show him  just over a day old Born on 4th June  2001

There are many more pictures and information still to be added to this site, so come back and look again sometime.

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