Of birds and bees

This weekend our wood was the setting for a demonstration of animal power and the close bond between horse and human. Frankie and Rich of Wealdwoodscapes brought their two heavy horses, Salome and Yser, to Crow Wood to extract timber cut in February and stack it ready for the next stage of operations - milling into planks. These beautiful horses pulled nearly 80 lengths of pine and chestnut over the two days, from where they were felled, working with a quiet grace and enormous strength....a privilege to watch.

Frankie and Rich have worked several times in different parts of Old Park Wood for different owners and are a highly respected team but this was the first time we have had the horses in Crow Wood itself.

It was a reminder of just how important working horses were in forestry and agricultural work and also what a rare sight this is nowadays. Ardennes were one of the key breeds used for this kind of work and are still known for their calm manner and sheer strength. They were also used to pull heavy artillery during the First World War and killed in their thousands along the front line.