Horse Logging Apprenticeship
An industry which nearly died out a few years ago has grown so much that 15 horse loggers now make a full-time living out of it - and a new apprenticeship has been launched because there is such huge demand for the environmentally-friendly skills.
Horse logging involves moving heavy tree trunks out of forests and clearing woodland - but it was a dying profession just a few years ago.
Now because it does much less damage to the environment than tractors it is making a comeback as people seek less harmful alternatives. In 1994 there were two or three full time horse loggers - now there are 15 and many more who work on a part time basis.
Doug Joiner, 55, from Ledbury in Herefordshire, who owns three horses and has worked as a horse logger for 16 years has just launched a new apprenticeship course and taken on the first ever candidate who will get the equivalent of a level 3 NVQ qualification after he finishes the three-year course.
He said: "It was a dying profession a few years ago and almost died out completely.
"In 1994 there were just two or three full time horse loggers - but over the last few years it has steadily made a comeback and now there are 15 who work full time and many more who work on a part time basis.
"I have so much work now that I have to pass some of it on to other horse loggers.
"It's good for the environment because it has a much lower impact on it than tractors or big machinery.
"There is so much work to be done that we have launched an apprenticeship scheme.
"We started this 18 months ago and it is a three-year course which gives the candidate the equivalent of an NVQ level 3 qualification.
"And we have about eight other people who have applied to do it and we hope to take on two of them in the future."
Apprentice Michael Paddock,19, from Hereford said: "I never thought I'd be training to be a horse logger as I'd never even heard of it when I was at school.
"I think it must have been a dying industry back then but now it seems like it's most definitely a growing industry.
"I hope I am the first of many to start the apprentice scheme."
Doug says that he can move an average of 10 tonnes of wood a day with one of his horses and once moved 35 tonnes in just a day.
He added: "It's a fantastic profession and I can see why youngsters would like to join it.
"And it seems that horse logging is going from strength to strength."