The shire horses of Richmond Park feature in a show which aired over the wekeend on ITV.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh meets the Operation Centaur team who care for 10 rare shire horses.

Host Mr Titchmarsh said it was "fantastic to see those magnificent animals thriving" at Holly Lodge in the park.

Introducing the segment, he said: "Our shire horse population has fallen into near-terminal decline, but there's hope on the horizon for this endangered breed as we discovered when we spent the day with one of the last working teams in the unlikeliest of places."

Head horseman Tom Nixon tells the programme that shire horses are a species native to Richmond Park, pre-dating the era of Henry VIII.

They can weigh up to a ton and used to be a common sight in villages across the country.

Operation Centaur, a Royal Parks affiliated charity, run festive carriage rides around the park which begin later this month.

The Royal Parks charity said: "These rare, beautiful creatures carry out vital conservation work across the parks."

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You can watch the show about them on ITV Player here from four minutes in.

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