'I've rescued 40 clothes horses and rehabilitated them at my sanctuary'

A dad who rescues abandoned clothes horses to reduce waste has revealed he rehabilitates them with "medical procedures" and even plays background music of washing machines to "calm them down". Sam Smith, 32, a support worker from Brighton, East Sussex, set up The Clothes Horse Sanctuary in 2016 after spotting discarded clothes horses on the city's streets.

Sam, also known as "Spud", initially started bringing these "beautiful creatures" home and keeping them in his back garden. However, when the space became overcrowded and a "tripping hazard", he sought an alternative location.

Now, he says nearly 40 clothes horses, each with their own name, reside at the sanctuary located at a local stable. Here, they receive medical care for any broken parts, are "free to roam" and even enjoy the soothing sounds of "washing machines on a delicate wash".

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While Sam acknowledges that some might find his hobby "absurd", he has amassed over 4,000 followers on his TikTok account @clotheshorsesanctuary and said the support has been "amazing".

Sam said: "It's been emotional. There's been laughter, there's been tears, but I think there's a togetherness with clothes horses.

"I think clothes horses are a sign of resilience ... (they're) the quiet supporters and the quiet heroes of our lives. They might not speak up, but you know they're there to hold you up when you need it."

Sam, who primarily works for Sussex Empowered Living, a company that provides care and support to adults with autism, mental health conditions and learning disabilities, noticed in 2016 that clothes horses were frequently being discarded near communal rubbish bins in Brighton. He realised "something needed to be done".

"Before I knew it, I took one in and fixed it up and moved it on – and it's just escalated since then," he revealed. In no time at all, Sam had amassed a large collection at his home, leading him to joke that his "back garden started to look like a clothes horse convention".

He even began naming them, revealing that his own personal clothes horse is named Malcolm because the name "just suits" him.

Discussing his motivation for rescuing the items from the streets, Sam explained: "In Brighton, there's a lot of re-purposing, re-using, re-homing, so that was the first ethos behind it. They're beautiful creatures who were just quite often discarded... you don't often see tumble dryers left out on the street like that, do you?".

As his garden became increasingly crowded, and the clothes horses began experiencing "folding pains", Sam realised he needed a larger space to accommodate them. He reached out to a friend whose family owns a nearby stable, asking if the clothes horses could be relocated there.

This led to the official launch of The Clothes Horse Sanctuary. He revealed the sanctuary is currently home to 36 "resilient, majestic and kind" clothes horses, each one individually named – with the latest arrivals being Steve and Susan.

"It's like becoming a teacher, you've got to call them by their names," Sam said. "Sometimes it can take a while, sometimes I make mistakes, I'm human too, but they all have their characteristics, they all have their personalities."

Sam revealed he discovers an abandoned clothes horse in Brighton almost every day. He reckons tumble dryers are primarily responsible for this, alongside a shortage of knowledge about repairing clothes horses – with heavy, sodden duvets frequently causing the main damage.

"We live in a world of obsolescence," Sam explained. "They're bred and they're sold for a cheap price of £10 to £15 sometimes, and people would rather throw it away and get a new one whenever there's a problem like rust or a broken leg."

Sam explained he now has a team of volunteers at The Clothes Horse Sanctuary to help "diagnose" damaged clothes horses and fix them. He said their primary mission is to cut environmental waste and educate others.

"When (the clothes horses) come to the sanctuary, they get looked over by the medic to see what's wrong," he said. "Whether it's a twisted back or a broken leg or foot, that's where we do the medical procedures and touch them up.

"Then after that, it's a matter of building up trust, helping them get used to recovering from the surgery, for example, giving them wide open spaces, exercise, socialisation and enrichment projects.

"Sometimes we like to put on music... and recently, we've been using a recording of washing machines on a delicate wash in the background – that seems to really calm them down. Obviously, we offer some therapy, too, because being abandoned leaves arguably a much larger scar than the physical injuries."

Sam revealed the clothes horses, which are presently being sheltered at the sanctuary, could likely dry three football teams' worth of kit. He believes clothes horses are frequently "overlooked" and would urge others to offer encouragement when feasible.

He explained: "Talk to your clothes horse, reassure them that they're doing a good job, let them know you're proud of them, let them know they're loved."

Sam began sharing content on TikTok about The Clothes Horse Sanctuary and claimed it has "brought people together". He relishes displaying the latest arrivals and uploading top tips and educational videos on how to care for clothes horses and ensure longevity.

He has even established a GoFundMe page, which is yet to receive donations, to help continue their rehabilitation work, and he revealed they now have an adoption process to re-home the clothes horses – although none have been adopted just yet. Sam stated his primary aim is to "put an end" to people discarding their clothes horses, hoping his content brings joy to people's faces.

"That's why The Clothes Horse Sanctuary is here," Sam said. "It's about educating people about clothes horses, about proper ways of unfolding, how often you should use WD-40, proper movement and management, and just the care they need."