'The benefits are felt in the pocket' - TBA praises Shade Oak as model for carbon calculations

As the global focus shifts to the environment this week with the world’s powerbrokers gathering in Azerbaijan for the UN Climate Change Conference, the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association has been outlining the benefits of greener practices through the use of its Stud Farm Carbon Calculator.

The TBA has produced a video with Peter Hockenhull of Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire, who has already obtained impressive results from forward thinking. Hockenhull was paid a visit by Ruth Dancer from sustainability consultancy White Griffin and Sarah Wynn from Adas, which provides independent agricultural and environmental advice.

Over the years he has planted 10km of hedges, as well as some woodland, and returns manure back on the paddocks of the 200-acre farm to fertilise them. Most impressively, he installed a 75kW wind turbine in 2012, which he believes paid for itself within ten years, and has a biomass boiler burning waste wood which pumps heat around all the houses on the farm.

"I hate waste, essentially," he says. "Waste of manpower, materials, any sort of waste, drives me to be more efficient and better."

The calculator, launched at the end of last year, assesses the carbon footprint of studs and helps provide possible solutions for reducing environmental impact, potentially cutting not only emissions but costs.

Victoria Murrell, the TBA’s equine health and welfare manager, says: "Creating a carbon footprint isn’t just about being more environmentally friendly, it’s also about reviewing the use of resources across the farm and identifying areas to save money.

"Shade Oak Stud is an excellent example of this, where Peter’s engineering skills are put to good use repurposing existing unused materials; the planting of trees and hedgerows on unproductive or wet land has created shelter belts and cost-effective fencing solutions; investment in renewables has drastically reduced energy bills; and thorough composting of manure has created ample organic matter to improve the soils.

"The benefits are felt in the pocket, as well as in optimising biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was easy to get distracted in Peter’s paddocks admiring the many beetles in the dung deposits!"

Murrell reports there has been "an encouraging number" of accounts registered to use the calculator and that it has produced data for Flat and National Hunt breeders, both in the commercial and owner-breeder sectors.

"It’s quite interesting, as emissions hotspots can be quite different from farm to farm, depending on things like stud practices, feed and bedding preferences, and the transience of the horse population," she says.

Peter Hockenhull (left): "I hate waste, essentially"Credit: Sarah Farnsworth / Goffs UK

Hockenhull was undoubtedly an early adopter on his family farm, but has found there have been no conflicts between running a stud – home to stallions Dartmouth, Logician and Telescope – and being sustainable. Indeed, if he installs some battery storage, Shade Oak would be self-sufficient in electricity.

Murrell believes there are simple and useful changes that can be made to help anyone in the business of keeping horses.

"Essentially, enhancing the natural environment often works harmoniously with supporting high standards of equine welfare," she says.

"Healthy soils and good pasture are better for nutrition and supporting the joints of young foals; belts of woodland provide shade and shelter across a greater area and without the poaching and soil compaction in the small doorways of field shelters.

"It’s about working with the unique challenges and opportunities that each stud farm presents, to identify solutions that are beneficial with your horses, ways of working and the environment."

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