Inspired by the work of the charity World Horse Welfare, a garden has been created to highlight the plight of abandoned and neglected 'invisible horses'. The charity is celebrating a 90 year legacy of helping horses, and the artisan garden designed by Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith has been generously funded by by a private donor.
The garden is designed to be thought-provoking and emotive, encouraging visitors to reflect on the plight of neglected and abused horses and take action to help them.
It tells the simple story of a pony, Clippy, who was rescued from a terrible situation and nursed back to health under World Horse Welfare's care. Clippy's journey begins in a small, derelict stable situated in a dark corner of the garden and surrounded by weeds, undergrowth and plants poisonous to horses. The tale of Clippy's rescue continues along a pathway of rehabilitation, which leads to a bright open meadow filled with colourful wildflowers, soothing herbs and stunning wild grasses. A deliberately narrow stream runs through the meadow.
Clippy is visualised in a stunning life-size sculpture created from horsehoes by renowned sculptor, Tom Hill. The sculpture features horseshoes from nearly 40 'celebrity' horses and ponies, including Olympic gold medallists Big Star and Valegro as well as three of Her Majesty The Queen's Windsor grey horses.
Votes are being taken for the People’s Choice Award, and World Horse Welfare is urging its supporters to vote for it, in the Artisan Garden category.
Following the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017, elements of the World Horse Welfare garden will be used as part of individual ‘In Memory’ gardens at each of the charity’s four Rescue and Rehoming Centres around the UK – creating a legacy which can be enjoyed by visitors to the centres for many years to come and highlighting how important gifts in wills are to the charity.
'Celebrity' Horseshoes used in the sculpure:
