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Also see the Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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How we are evolving Founder Chairman Nick Westcott's legacy
DNA profiling for Exmoor ponies to authenticate lineage and safeguard their moorland heritage.
We are pleased to announce the start of The Heritage Exmoor Pony & Equus Survival Trust (EST) DNA Project
. The purpose of the project: The Equus Survival Trust (EST) is to provide funding and establish a DNA parentage baseline for the moorland Exmoor Ponies stewarded by the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG) i n the Exmoor National Park .
The Equus Survival Trust will create a database of the DNA markers and the parentage relationships and provide pedigree & DNA parentage test information to breeders, owners, and potential owners.
Statement of Intent / Scope of Project: 1) DNA Parent Test all ponies (until grant is exhausted). Owners of ponies will receive copies of DNA reports. 2) Solve relationships between the ponies sampled and/or create foundation base lines for ponies that cannot be fully parent verified due to missing parents, but who have been inspected by MEPBG and qualify as purebred moorland Exmoor Ponies. 3) Compile a DNA database with census information & DNA markers; MEPBG Liaison will receive a spreadsheet of this data to share with member breeders/owners. 4) Update database annually with any additional pony census /DNA 5) EST will allow accredited genetic studies of the gene pool data with appropriate accreditation of EST & MEPBG. This project offers an enormous opportunity for the MEPBG Exmoor ponies to establish correct DNA baselines for their herds (pedigree, purebred, true to type Exmoor ponies) , in a format which allows accessible research by the herd owners and also to accredited experts, as agreed with the herd owners. Molland Moor - Moorland Herd 99 Exmoor Ponies The Heritage Exmoor Pony & EST DNA Project has started with DNA profiling and collection of field data from the long-standing Molland Moor herd of Exmoor ponies, Moorland Herd 99 . This herd has become stranded outside of the closed Exmoor Pony Stud Book through failure to establish a DNA baseline for the herd when DNA parentage verification was brought in as a pedigree registration requirement in the early 2000's. However, the Dart family and Molland Estate have managed to maintain a healthy herd of resilient, robust, good quality, true to type, free-living Exmoor ponies to this day. With the tiny, endangered Exmoor pony gene pool, it is important to ensure that this moorland Exmoor pony herd receives appropriate recognition and status and is safeguarded for the future. The Moorland Herd 99 Exmoor ponies retain the desirable learned and genetic characteristics and behaviours of extensively grazing, free living animals, through living on one of Exmoor's toughest moorlands. These ponies are also awarded the MEPBG (Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group) Certificate of Authenticity - born and bred in Exmoor National Park by an MEPBG herd owner. It is exciting to be DNA profiling the Molland Moor herd and establishing the all important DNA baseline for these lovely ponies. Molland youngstock are available for sale now. More information and contact details for the Molland herd and the Dart family at https://www.mepbg.co.uk/moorland-herd-99
The historic autumn gathering of the Milton family's Withypoole Herd 23 in Exmoor National Park
Stunning young moorbred Herd 23 stallion, Withypoole King, bred by the Milton family, has joined the Tippbarlake herd mares on Brendon Common.
Five years and counting to improve registration issues and nonsense for moorland Exmoor ponies. The MEPBG has had enough.
This year, the Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival runs from June through to the end of September. We're currently adding events to the Calendar and already have a host of wonderful Exmoor pony experiences available, which you can find here http://www.mepbg.co.uk/2019-heritage-exmoor-pony-festival The Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival is organised by the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG) and the Exmoor Pony Project and its aims are to celebrate the Exmoor Ponies of Exmoor National Park and promote the moorland foals looking for good homes in the autumn. This year, you can watch the magnificent Tippbarlake Exmoor pony gathering , enjoy watching (or taking part in) Exmoor pony classes at local and county shows (inc a special Exmoor Pony Parade) , treat yourself to a ' Connecting with Exmoor Ponies & Yourself' workshop, take part in a wildlife photography workshop on location, join the Wild Pony Whispering Walk on the Dunkery Commons, and the National Trust's amazing Foreland Herd Walk. There's something for everyone and we look forward to welcoming you to our events. 2019 Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival Calendar of Events http://www.mepbg.co.uk/2019-heritage-exmoor-pony-festival
An opportunity to see how the West Exmoor National Trust's Exmoor pony herd is doing - at their autumn gather and check
Some amazing Moorland Exmoor pony footage for Exmoor pony lovers - enjoy!
Finding good homes for the small number of Exmoor of foals is boosted this year by the NEW MEPBG Certificate of Authenticity
TV and Press Articles - MEPBGMEPBG farmers/herd owners in despair over pony registration and passport delays which are resulting in culling of rare breed Exmoors.
Sky News feature on passport delays...
On Sunday 25 February - Sky News covers the Exmoor pony registration problems in news bulletins.
View Sky News here: https://news.sky.com/watch-live
#SkyNews #ExmoorPonies #ExmoorPonyRegistrationProblems
There is also a Sky News article with Rebecca Williams report here: https://news.sky.com/story/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies-over-passport-delay-11266631
Tippbarlake in The Guardian
Experience the magnificent Tippbarlake
Exmoor pony herd gathering from the wilds of Brendon Common, Exmoor National Park, through Sara Hudston's
eyes in her Country Diary
in The Guardian
(27 Nov). Exhilarating! :) There are some beautiful Tippbarlake filly and colt foals available. Please contact Maria Floyd on 01598 741201 and mariafloyd@gmail.com.
#Exmoorponies #ExmoorNationalPark #BrendonCommon #TheGuardian #SaraHudston #MoorlandExmoorPonyBreedersGroup
Moorland Exmoor Foals FOR SALE
Moorbred get a truly wonderful start in life - can you give them a wonderful home off the moor? Foals are looking for good homes this autumn. The pony gatherings are now taking place and there are a small number of beautiful quality Exmoor pony foals looking for considerate new owners who can help them to make the transition to life off the moors. Or alternatively, to join conservation grazing projects. Exmoor ponies are an endangered breed and we welcome new owners to help safeguard their future. The MEPBG members are working together to breed carefully and ensure that the true moorland type, authentic Exmoor ponies continue to survive and thrive in Exmoor National Park - and beyond. If you are interested in becoming the owner of an Exmoor pony or two, then please contact the herd owners directly.
Herds with foals definitely available include:
The Milton family's Withypoole Herd 23
(sired by The Aristocrat and Knightoncombe Royal)
The South family's Farleywater Herd H67
(sired by Wortleberry)
The Floyd family's Tippbarlake Herd 387
(sired by Tippbarlake Jamie),
The Dart family's Moorland Herd 99 (sired by Knightoncombe Royal).
Link to the MEPBG Breeders Directory:
http://www.mepbg.co.uk/about-MEPBG-directory
Watch acclaimed German wild horse film-maker, Marc Lubetzki's short film about Exmoor ponies below, which he very kindly produced for the MEPBG - some beautiful footage and very important messages!
Westcountry Equine Fair (2 & 3 Dec) supports Devon Air Ambulance
Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) which is celebrating 25 years of service is the chosen charity for the Westcountry Equine Fair 2017.
The first mission for DAA was flown in August 1992 and now the DAA owns two Eurocopter EC135 helicopters operating seven days a week and responding to approximately 1,400 life threatening or life changing incidents every year. In November 2016 DAA extended their service to operate until midnight, meaning they can help even more people in Devon.
With one helicopter based in Exeter and one in North Devon they are able to get to most of Devon within 10 minutes and the whole of Devon within 15. This ensures patients receive treatment within the critical period immediately following acute illness or an accident and are conveyed to the specialist treatment centre most appropriate for their needs, ensuring they receive the best possible care and giving them the best chance of survival.
It costs £5.5million every year to keep Devon’s Air Ambulances flying and they are extremely proud to be independent of Government and National Lottery Funding; this safeguards the service for the long-term and ensures they can deliver what the people of Devon tell them they want from their Air Ambulance.
DAA has also substantially improved patient care through the creation of a ground breaking Master’s Degree for air paramedics aimed at making them amongst the highest qualified in the profession. Working with Plymouth University, DAA has created a qualification which will put Devon on the map as a centre of excellence for pre-hospital critical care.
Devon’s Air Ambulances are very much an essential part of the community we live in and the service would not be possible without the generous support and donations from the people, businesses and communities in and around Devon, every penny raised is making a real difference. More info at www.daat.org.
The Westcountry Equine Fair, (Westpoint, Exeter on Saturday 2nd & Sunday 3rd December) now in its twenty first year, hosts a wide selection of educational, competitive and entertaining demonstrations in the indoor arena including: Beverley Brightman sponsored by Horsehage (dressage rider & trainer); Alexander Bragg event rider (Sunday); Grant Bazin – The horseman; Junior Show Jumping; a native breed parade and many more. There will also be the BETA sponsored Equestrian Knowledge Zone. You can ask advice from a selection of top experts including: equine vet; equine dentist; Lorinery; referral farrier; equine nutritionist, free hat and body protector checks and worming. RoboCob the mechanical horse will also be available to have-a-go to fine tune riding skills. The show is not complete without the amazing equestrian shopping village. With over 200 companies, this is a great equestrian shopping experience ‘For the horse, for the rider and for Christmas’. Don’t forget you don’t need to carry those heavy shopping bags around with the shop and drop facility in the foyer - all donations to Devon Air Ambulance. This is certainly the total equestrian experience for the dedicated rider!
To book your tickets in advance and save money visit www.westcountryequinefair.co.uk or call 01392 421500 (office hours) and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated.
#DevonAirAmbuland #WestcountryEquineFair #ContourExhibitions
Can you name ENPA's new Exmoor foal?
The Exmoor National Park Authority has welcomed the first foal for seven years into its Warren herd of Exmoor ponies. She is the daughter of Warren Zoha and the national park would like ideas regarding what to name the foal - as long as it begins with 'B' and is floral.
If you'd like to suggest a name then please go to ENPA's Facebook www.facebook.com/ExmoorNP - ENPA also have a Twitter page @exmoornp
EPS votes to stop picking up foal's feet
MEPBG letter to the Exmoor Pony Society 4 May 2017:
Dear Mr Brewer (EPS Chairman)
Re: EPS rule change to cease picking up feet during foal inspections
The MEPBG is delighted to hear that the members voted at yesterday's AGM [3 May 2017] that the feet of foals will no longer be picked up during EPS inspections."This is a major step forward in both pony welfare and in stemming the exclusion of important genetics from the stud book and breeding gene pool, through no longer rejecting ponies for the colour of sole plates. It also vastly reduces the risk of damage and injury to both handlers and ponies."It would be good to address the issue of retrospective inclusion of Exmoor ponies previously 'failed' for the colour of sole plates, as there is a significant number of quality ponies, both on and off the moor, that can now be upgraded to pedigree status. Both with regard to the breeding herds and also in enabling ponies to take part in affiliated showing classes."We understand the trustees are discussing this at their forthcoming meeting in June and we look forward to hearing how the upgrading will be progressed.
Regards, Nick WestcottMEPBG Chairman, Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG)
Horse & Hound - MEPBG Chairman's letter (30 Mar 2017 issue)
Following the article 'Rare Native Breed Genes at Risk' (H&H 16 Mar issue) Horse & Hound magazine has published this letter of clarification from Nick Westcott:
"Dear H&H, Firstly, congratulations on the new H&H look, which is great! With regard to the article 'Rare Native Breed Genes at Risk' (16 March) the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group first served resolutions asking for clarification of the 'no white markings' rule, and the addition of a supplement and upgrading system to the Exmoor Pony Stud Book (EPS), in 2015. The Exmoor Pony Society asked for the resolutions to be withdrawn in return for forming a working party of EPS and MEPBG representatives to progress discussion of both. Unfortunately, due to the lack of progress made, the no white markings resolution was re-served in February this year. But after the society left the names of various people off the list to circulate to members, the resolution has been withdrawn once again, while the proposers obtain further hard copies of signatures to avoid omissions. The EPS also received a "health & safety" letter pointing out that, due to the dangerous and unnecessary practice of forcibly lifting the feet of unhandled semi-feral Exmoor ponies, the trustees may be criminally liable and the MEPBG herd owners no longer want the feet to be picked up during inspections. Good genetics continue to be wasted as a result of failing foals for the colour of sole plates."
Nick Westcott - Chairman, MEPBG.
Horse & Hound article 16 Feb 2017
Horse & Hound MagazineRare Breeds Special - Exmoor Ponies16 February 2017 issue
Subscribe to H&H magazine here
Photos featured:
Double page spread: The Tippbarlake Herd 387 ponies crossing at Lancombe to Brendon Common, Exmoor National Park
The Moorland Herd 99 ponies in the pens, Molland Common, Exmoor National Park
Kathy Hollick-Blee riding Farleywater Herd H67 pony, Mr Mischief
The 2017 Heritage Exmoor Festival
The 2017 Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival
Calendar of Events and Activities will embrace and celebrate other iconic Exmoor National Park animals and moorland farming - to better explain and illustrate why the True Moorland Type Exmoor ponies of Exmoor National Park are so unique and special.
With Exmoor ponies remaining the core focus, the Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival will promote awareness of how and why the farmers of Exmoor are working so hard to safeguard their future.
Click here to see the evolving 2017 Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival events and activities Calendar.
Herd 423 passes to new ownership
The MEPBG and Exmoor Pony Project worked closely with farmer James Bryant and The North Devon National Trust to secure the hand over of the ponies to the National Trust at the end of February 2017.
The Exmoor Pony Project promoted and secured the successful sale of the filly and colt foals to good homes, with foals travelling as far as Germany and Ireland, as well as throughout the UK.
The MEPBG and Exmoor Pony Project are continuing to work closely with the North Devon National Trust regarding the Herd 423 Exmoor ponies.
Read more about Herd 423
here.
German film-maker Marc Lubetzki helps us promote Herd 423 foals for sale
It was amazing to discover that a filming team, dedicated to capturing footage of wild horses across the globe, were on Exmoor and when they discovered that we are trying to find good homes for some beautiful wild-born foals from Herd 423 on Countisbury - they amazingly offered their services!
So Dawn Westcott joined Marc Lubetzki and Martin Buschmann to capture some footage of the very last progeny of moorland stallion Hawkwell Great Gatsby, who sadly died last year. It was poignant as Marc Lubetzki had spent time filming Gatsby in 2012 and had returned hoping to see the stallion on his visit. Nevertheless, he was pleased to meet Farleywater Zeus who is now running with the Porlock Herd 100 on Porlock Hill. And it was to Countisbury he came for the important task of recording some footage of the Herd 423 foals from 2016, who are keen to find good opportunities when they are shortly to be weaned from their dams. James Bryant must be congratulated on his breeding programme for the wonderful quality of his foals. They certainly reflect the True Moorland Type Exmoor ponies we are all so keen to see.
Exmoor Foals Need Good Homes!
Wild horse film-maker Marc Lubetzki took time out to shoot some footage of the lovely Herd 423 foals on Countisbury who need to find good homes.
Their sire, Hawkwell Great Gatsby, has sired some amazing progeny - which includes multi-champion stallions, Hawkwell Versuvius 'Bear' and Hawkwell Robert Redford.
We are keen to see all of Hawkwell Great Gatsby's lovely progeny find good homes.
Update: We are please to confirm that the Herd 423 foals have now found good homes.
Horse & Hound
The MEPBG and member's herds feature in a super 3-page Rare Breeds Special "An Exmoor Addition" in the 16 Feb 2017 issue of Horse & Hound magazine.
Westcountry Equine Fair 3 & 4 Dec, Exeter
We will be exhibiting on Stand 137 at the Westcountry Christmas Equine Fair on Sat 3 & Sun 4 December.
We'll be promoting the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group, the Exmoor Pony Project (Moorland Exmoor Foal Project) and there will be book signings for Wild Stallion Whispering and Wild Pony Whispering on both days.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Tippbarlake Herd Gathering - Sat 3 Dec
The Tippbarlake Herd is being gathered from Brendon Common to Brendon Barton this Saturday 3 December. If anyone would like to watch and/or help, then please contact Maria Floyd on 01598 741201. Pedigree and Purebred Moorland Exmoor foals will be For Sale following their inspection. The Tippbarlake herd is the largest herd of Exmoor ponies, founded on ancient bloodlines from Herds 1 and 10 and additionally with Ilkerton and Woolhanger lines.
Tippbarlake gathering video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehK_V8FQT9Q&t=305s
Moorbred Exmoor Pony Foals For Sale Now
The MEPBG Herd owners have a small number of Pedigree & Purebred Moorbred Exmoor pony foals For Sale now.
Please see the list of breeders on the MEPBG page for contact details and more information about the herds.
The Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group Blog
How we are evolving Founder Chairman Nick Westcott's legacy
Contact us
The MEPBG
Email: MoorlandExmoorGroup@hotmail.co.uk
Phone: +44 1643 862466 and +44 1598 741201
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