Personnel
Marthe Kiley-Worthington
B.Sc (Zoology), D.Phil (Ethology), M.Phil (Philosophy of Animal Minds). BHS AI (1971), BHS II (Instructor, 1978, not jumping). Member of British Institute of Agricultural Consultants.
She spent her childhood in Kenya on farms, attended University in Scotland and then returned to East Africa to Makerere College, Kampala, Uganda (1955-60) with a Goldsmith scholarship. She was one of the first researchers studying the behaviour of large mammals in the field in Africa.
She returned to the UK to complete a doctorate on communication in domestic and wild mammals at Sussex University & then won a series of post doctoral fellowships to study the welfare of farm animals, develop an ethogram for cattle, distress in veal calves, thus was one of the first Animal Welfare Scientists. She returned to study wild eland and blesbok in South Africa while a professor at University of Pretoria.
In 1973 she established her first experimental ecological farm and stud in Sussex (see Druimghigha Horses) & continued to direct detailed research on the behaviour of cattle and horses. She was invited to a honorary fellowship at University of Edinburgh to continue her animal welfare and ecological research & established an ecological farm on the Isle of Mull in the Hebrides.
In 1989 the third farm: Little Ash Eco Farm was established in the Dartmoor National Park in Devon to test the integration of food production and wildlife conservation. She was invited to be an honorary fellow at the University of Exeter (1990-2003) & started a research group to study animal educational psychology & large mammal cognition.
She has won various awards including a prize for Creativity in Rural Life from the Women’s World Summit Foundation at UN in 1998, & held committee positions in international professional societies, refereed for many behavioural journals and is an associate member of Brain and Behaviour Science. She won the Brenda Ryan Fellowship at Girton College Cambridge in 2002, was invited to be a visiting Fellow at Bristol University (Veterinary Science) 2006, and visiting Scholar (Philosophy) University of California, Berkeley, USA, 2007.
She was one of the first Consultants on Ecological Agriculture and probably the first Animal Behavioural & Welfare Consultants (1970).
She has developed the cooperative teaching of mammals, teaches, works & rides horses from novice to Grand Prix in dressage and International Endurance.
She has written 7 books and over 70 scientific papers (see Publications), is director of the centre & has various educational and research programmes (see Education & Research).
Acedemic curriculum vitae is available on demand.
Chris C. Rendle
B.Sc. (Engineering). Registered Farrier, FRC.
He was born in Cornwall in 1952. He went to University of London to study engineering for B.Sc, then joined Voluntary Service Overseas and taught in Ghana 2 years, returning to the UK to work on farms in Cornwall.
He joined Marthe at Milton Court Eco Farm in Sussex & completed his diploma in Ecological Agriculture (1978). He managed and developed Milton Court Eco Farm, Druimghigha Eco Farm, Mull, Little Ash Eco Farm Devon, and Coveney Eco Small holding, Ely, and now, the biggest challenge - La Combe, Bezaudun sure Bine, Drome.
His particular expertise is in alternative energy, designing, repairing and making farm & draught animal equipment, building eco houses, arable & animal husbandry and welfare (cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, poultry, camelids), animal handling and teaching. He is a farrier, specialising in biomechanics and natural balance shoeing.
He teaches & works horses, cattle, elephants and Cape Buffalo and rides (and wins) international long distance and flat horse races.
Jake Rendle-Worthington
B.Sc (Psychology & Philosophy), M.Sc (Animal Behaviour & Welfare).
He did his first degree at Liverpool, and then an M.Sc at Exeter. He has studied tigers and orangutans for university projects.
Jake joined us in 2009 & now runs Equitation Les Trois Becs (see www.horseridingfrance.com). He spent a year traveling around the world before joining Marthe as a research assistant on elephant and handler teaching in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He ran riding safaris in Northern Kenya, and now enjoys teaching horse ethology and ecology to his clients. He works part time on all aspects of the farm, and is an excellent international cook using only our own and local ingredients.