Borehole for horse sanctuary

12:00pm Monday 8th October 2007

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A HOME for horses has drilled a 122m deep borehole into the limestone of the Chiltern Hills to install its own supply of fresh water.

The Home of Rest for Horses in Speen spent around £12,000 digging the mammoth well. A 15ft tall drill needed to be set up to accomplish the feat.

The sanctuary is home to more than 100 horses, each of which drinks up to 12 gallons of water a day. On top of this there are around 70 loose horse boxes that all have to be cleaned, and the maintenance of more than 200 acres of land. Water from the borehole will be fed directly into troughs for the horses and used in the cleaning of stables and yards.

Susan Lewis, marketing manager, said: "All of our horses are over the age of 20 - some of them are in their 30s - and they couldn't be getting anything better.

"By drilling this deep we bypass all microbes and contaminants - this is fresh water from the source.

"Because of their age our horses cost between three and five thousand pounds a year each including treatment and medication.

"Our water bills used to be astronomical. We are a charity that relies on the public for support, and the money saved can be used for the benefit of the horses."

Water from the excavation is expected to save the rest home around £15,000 a year.