Cumbrian heavy horse centre's fight to protect Britain's endangered heritage breeds

ITV Granada Reports journalist Lauren Ostridge met Annie Rose, the owner of Cumbrian Heavy Horses.

A horse riding centre which specialises in protecting Britain's endangered heritage breeds says it will continue to fight on to battle soaring costs - despite having to sell four of its horses.For the past 20 years, Cumbrian Heavy Horses has been a sanctuary for breeds such as the Scottish Clydesdale, English Shire, and the critically endangered Suffolk Punch.

The larger horses were once the engines of Britain's fields, but with advancing technology their role was replaced with tractors and other farming machinery, which has contributed to dwindling numbers.

Passionate about showcasing these rare breeds, the centre near Millom offers unique riding experiences for people of all abilities and has an active breeding programme.

But protecting the gentle giants comes at a giant cost. Owner Annie Rose says skyrocketing prices for everyday items like hay, combined with an increase in National Insurance bills has pushed the centre to a breaking point.

"Like everybody in business, overheads have gone up but in the last year we've had some real knock-backs," Annie said.

"The hike in national insurance costs has pretty much destroyed us. Everything that you buy in has gone up in the last few years. 10 years ago I could buy a bale of hay for £24 - this year it was nearly £60.

"My biggest cost is staff, but without the staff this is nothing. I rely on the to provide the quality that we do, the service that we do."

Annie has three Suffolk Punch mares, Britain's oldest breed of heavy horse and classified as critically endangered by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

"To be able to help them in that way is amazing," she said. "This year we've got three Suffolk foals due and one Clydesdale - because I still love the Scottish breed.

"At one point, money made from the riding side of the business would cover the extra costs but in the last year it has become increasingly difficult to make that work."

Annie says she has been forced to sell four of her horses, including a young Suffolk Punch, and set up an online fundraising page to help cover the centre's breeding programme.

Annie says she is not prepared to give up on her passion and is now exploring different income streams to keep her business going, including a new podcast focusing on the rare breeds.

"I've had to take a step back from the yard, which is really hard for me to do," Annie said. "The business is my life and we are not giving up."

She added: "We don't just do riding; we work with children with special educational needs and bucket list with people who are terminally ill. We have to keep going because it's so special what we do here."

Cumbrian Heavy Horses is not the only riding centre feeling the pinch. According to the The British Horse Society, 250 riding schools have closed across the UK since 2018.

Annie said: "That is a sad reflection of a equine industry as a whole because horses are phenomenally good for people and I think it's a terrible shame that the overheads are so high that people are having to close.

"Most [riding centre owners] don't take an income, they just graft and work seven days a week - I know this. It is a terrible shame that we're losing so many of them. I feel we are so under supported."

Simone O'Connor, who works with Cumbrian Heavy Horses as an instructor, believes continuing to raise awareness of heavy horse breeds is crucial to their survival.

"It's an absolute privilege, it's hard work and hard labour but what you put in you get back in spades," she said.

Want more on the issues effecting the North? Our podcast, From the North answers the questions that matter to our region.