How a stud owner is channelling ‘hate’ of waste into a win-win situation for his horses and business

A stud owner who is channelling his engineering background and “hate” of waste into saving money and sustainability has highlighted how greener practices can make good business sense.

Peter Hockenhull, of Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire, features on a new video produced by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (TBA) that outlines the benefits of greener practices on stud farms.

Although each equestrian’s set-up is different, there are principles that can apply to any kind of yard. For example, examining use of resources, considering land management practices, scrutinising energy usage and thinking about incremental changes.

“I don’t see a conflict between looking after horses and being sustainable,” said Mr Hockenhull, who studied engineering at university and now runs the 200-acre stud with his wife, Emma.

“I hate waste of any kind – waste of manpower, waste of materials; any kind of waste drives me to be more efficient and better.”

In terms of the land, he has analysed his field management to find ways of reducing the need for expensive nitrogen fertiliser and improve pasture quality, and has planted more than 10km of hedgerows.

“[Putting in hedgerows] was mainly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the horses,” he said. “The hedges were established because I find it the most economic way. The biodiversity has been the benefit of it – that came as a secondary to me, and I enjoy that side of it, but it was mainly for the wellbeing of the horses that I’ve ended up with 16km of hedges.”

The farm also has solar panels, a wind turbine and a biomass boiler. Mr Hockenhull said he is looking at batteries as his next option, which would enable him to store electricity created on site and reach “net zero” in terms of importing electricity from the grid.

The TBA launched a carbon calculator in 2023, in partnership with agricultural and environmental consultancy ADAS and with the support of the Racing Foundation. Shade Oak Stud is among the “growing number” of stud farms that have used it to help examine their use of resources and where targeted changes may help save energy costs and cut carbon emissions.

TBA equine health and welfare manager Victoria Murrell said: “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.”

She told H&H Shade Oak Stud is a “really good example” of this.

“Mr Hockenhull has a real inquiring mind – he’s trying to find solutions,” she said. “And in that endeavor to save money and make things more efficient, he’s also doing things that are better for the environment.

“We don’t mind what drivers people are using to motivate themselves, but it’s about good outcomes.”

She echoed Mr Hockenhull’s point that doing the right thing for horses’ wellbeing is the priority – but that can go hand-in-hand with sustainability.

“You can do what’s right for the animals, but that might also be environmentally friendly – and you can also do what’s right by the environment, and it be purse-friendly,” she said, adding that results from the carbon calculator show emissions hot spots vary considerably from stud to stud, owing to different business set-ups.

“What works for one stud farm might not work for another. It’s about looking at the strengths and the challenges of that particular property, and how do you work with that to optimise what you’ve got.”

Ms Murrell added that data from the carbon calculator is also helping on a wider scale. She explained that the TBA represents breeders at government level and the calculator gives quality data to highlight challenges and opportunities.

The TBA is also close to being able to give anonymised “benchmarking” information, which will enable operations of similar location or size to understand how their footprint compares.

Ruth Dancer, director at White Griffin Equine Environmental Specialists, said: “The race is on for people to make changes quickly and effectively, in order to both adapt to climate change on their farms and support the global effort to reduce our collective impact on the environment.”

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