First horse livery business to go organic
Stone Circle Livery, near Ashford in Kent, is the first fully organic livery yard in the UK and has been certified as such by the Soil Association.
The horses graze on organic pasture free from pesticides, fertilizers and additives, are fed GM-free hard feed and organic hay, sleep in organic bedding and are cared for using only organic products.
Paul Anderson, who runs Stone Circle with his wife, Susi, said: “A lot of our clients have already made environmentally friendly choices in their lives: to recycle, eat organic themselves, cut food miles and reduce their carbon footprint, so this is a natural step.”
The hedgerows and paddocks have been planted with herbs and wildflowers and are bordered by trees, including willow, which Paul says the horses eat occasionally as a totally natural painkiller.
All livery owners have to sign an agreement with the yard promising to adhere to the organic ethos, which includes using herbal wormers, fly sprays and other products.
This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (25 October, ’07)
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.