• Social
  • 06 Mar 2025

Working as part of the Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), a joint venture alliance between M Group Water and Aecom, we went back to basics, using a horse power to control bracken.

As part of our improvement work for Scottish Water in a suburb of Glasgow, we had to be mindful that the land was part of a larger site of special scientific interest (SSSI) area, which includes an unusual mixture of wet and dry heath and ancient woodland.

In an effort to protect biodiversity, we decided to employ two working heavy horses from a local farmer. The horses, Tyne and Tantan, helped us to control the bracken.

Using horses for bracken control worked well compared to traditional methods, reducing chemical sprays and the impact of bringing heavy machinery to site.

We were very happy to clear the bracken and trees by using the horses. As the area is an SSSI site, we wanted to be as respectful of the local area as possible.

The horses have a lower impact on woodland and heathland and they cause less compaction to soil and scarify the ground, which is really good for natural regeneration rather than using chemical sprays and machinery.

Joanne Craig, Customer Manager at CWA

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