Heavy horses are taking the strainat Country Park Nature Reserve

Hastings Borough Council has once again enlisted the help of Frankie Woodgate and her two forestry horses, Yser and Tobias.

Cllr Warren Davies, the council’s lead member for environment explained: “Warren Glen is an area of the country park that is very difficult to access with machinery so having Frankie’s help is invaluable.

“The terrain is steeply sloping and rough and therefore difficult to manage without grazing animals.

“Highland cattle, Exmore ponies and recently introduced Belted Galloway cattle have made a real impact on reducing the gorse and bracken in this area.

“By supplementing the bruising with grazing, the bracken can be kept at bay and more areas of special habitat will be opened up for wildlife to flourish.

“The working horses pull heavy rollers to bash and bruise the bracken as an effective, traditional and low impact method of reducing the vigor and growth of bracken in these hard to reach areas.

“The horses are working on the site until Friday June 24. They are a magnificent sight on the slopes – why not go along and have a look for yourself.”

Yser and Tobias spend most of the year extracting timber from woods around Sussex and Kent but spend the summer rolling bracken at the country park.

For more information of the country park visit www.hastings.gov.uk.

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