HORSE believed to be a descendent of one of Napoleon’s war horses has been practising an ancient custom to help preserve a woodland.

The dappled grey gelding, reputedly of superior lineage, has been helping to remove dead and diseased trees from Linthorpe cemetery, in Middlesbrough.

Napoleon is said to have decreed that all the names of his warhorses should begin with the letter O and Ouragan, French for “hurricane” carries on the tradition.

His handler, Chris Wadsworth, said the seven-year-old Percheron was an excellent workhorse.

“I suppose he is horse royalty,” he added. “The breed comes from a stud in northern France which provided horses for the French army. They are well known for being heavy graft horses. He weighs 900kg and is built like a prop forward.”

Horse logging involves using horses to pull felled trees safely through wooded areas without damaging plants. The ancient art, which dates back 10,000 years, almost died out during the Eighties as machines took over, but there has since been a resurgence in the skills.

Mr Wadsworth, from Guisborough, east Cleveland, is a member of the British Horse Loggers professional register.

He said Ouragan had now reached his physical peak which he would maintain for the next eight years.