Shire Horses were first bred in medieval times as warhorses but they became the backbone of agricultural Britain until mechanical methods took over.  But since the 2010’s there has been a revival of using shire horses for hay making and meadow management in particular.  Thanks to an increasing awareness of the need for increasing biodiversity in the UK, the likes of the National Trust and London Royal Parks has increased the use of low-impact land management including meadow management by using Shire Horses.  More locally, Friends of the River Crane Environment has been contracting with Oakwood Clydesdales in managing the Crane Meadow. Hatton Fields has always been an ideal candidate to join FORCE in partnering with Oakwood Clydesdales to enhance the fields that we all love so much.  Aside from the unplanned fire, the grass has not been controlled on Hatton Fields for at least 20 years.  While its great to have wild fields, over time the biodiversity decreased because coarse grass tends to dominate other species. This neutralises the soil, and since Hatton Fields is historically classified as the very rare London acid grassland, we have campaigned for at least 2 out of the 3 years of Friends of