Wild Konik horses used to help maintain Kent nature park
A nature reserve in Kent is using primitive Konik horses to maintain the natural environment.
Koniks are primitive Polish horses, which are closely related to the extinct Tarpan, a wild forest horse from Neolithic times.
The small semi-feral horses have been set loose to sustain Wraik Hall nature reserve near Whitstable, which is known for its many nightingales and warblers.
The project is run by conservation charity Wildwood Trust, which has released another five herds of wild horses across the country to graze and keep grass short.
This will increase bio diversity as well as help to reduce the use of heavy machinery.
Peter Smith, chief executive of Wildwood, said: “This expands the number of sites being managed by Koniks to six which is really exciting.
“The work the horses are doing across Kent is invaluable they really are helping to breathe life into so many rare habitats.”
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.