Inside Brighton’s brilliantly bizarre ‘animal’ sanctuary for abandoned clothes horses

According to Sam, clothes horses deserve to live a fulfilling life (Picture: supplied)

As someone who spent much of her adolescence devoted to a Lemur named Ron who lived at Howletts Zoo, I can empathise with those who want to protect vulnerable species.

That’s why I knew I was going to enjoy my conversation with Sam Smith – a Brighton-based activist who’s spent the last decade rescuing, caring, and mending abandoned clothes horses.

As I waited for the 33-year-old to join me on Zoom, I had a million questions: Why did you start collecting clothes horses left by strangers on the street? Why open a sanctuary dedicated to a household item? And what’s the real message behind it all?

Never once breaking character, which included regularly referring to the clothes horses as ‘animals’, our chat was both enlightening and entertaining.

And while some might call his passion project ‘absurd’, it’s connected with thousan...