THE climate is changing, plastic is piling up on beaches and biodiversity is in free fall. We all know that things look bad. But how often do we consider the impact of our horses on the planet? And what could we be doing to improve their environmental hoolprint?
James O’Donnell, chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA) Sustainability Group and until recently assistant stud director of the 6,000-acre Shadwell Stud in Norfolk, explains that the Environmental Act of 2021 was a major catalyst for positive change in the way all land in the UK is managed.
“Farmers will be assessed on what their environmental footprint is,” he says, adding that more government grant schemes will be brought in as incentives. “Are they regenerating areas of their farm back over
