Horton House Farm – Wiltshire, UK

Jonny and Rachael Rider raise Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) and Certified Grassfed by AGW dairy cows on 1,100 acres of pasture at Horton House Farm, in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. The Riders also raise Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW beef cattle, sheep and goats, and Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW pigs and laying hens.

Jonny and Rachael are the third generation to farm their land, hailing from a pioneering farming family that’s grazed cattle for decades. “We have 600 cows in calf, and all of the calves are born straight onto grass,” explains Jonny. “Our children help on the farm, especially during calving. It’s quite intense but very manageable.”

Jonny and Rachael are passionate about how they raise their animals. “The herd is mainly Jersey cross incorporating Montbéliarde, Ayrshire and a few Red Polls,” explains Jonny. “We don’t use antibiotics for mastitis and only use them otherwise for injury or life-threatening sickness.”

They’ve successfully run their dairy herd in a low-stress, pasture-based system for over 25 years. “As the third generation of the family to be rotational grazing on this farm, we have adapted the grazing to have longer rotations and multiple shifts during the day to build organic matter and sward diversity,” says Jonny.

Horton House Farm’s farming practices benefit not only the animals, but also the wider environment. The cows are rotationally managed, grazing one section of pasture before being moved to fresh fields. This lets grass recover before the cows return to graze; it also minimises the build-up of internal parasites, reducing reliance on chemical treatments.

The Rider family’s Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW milk is sold to a local milk processor. The farm supplies Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW pork to The Green Butchers in Twickenham, London, which also stocks the farm’s Certified Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Grassfed by AGW lamb and rose veal. The farm sells Certified Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Grassfed by AGW beef from its cull cows through The Green Butchers, FarmWidler, and other specialist meat processors, while Certified Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Grassfed by AGW goats’ milk is available from online retailer Abel & Cole.