Farmers gather in the Exmoor pony herds
Finding good homes for the small number of Exmoor of foals is boosted this year by the NEW MEPBG Certificate of Authenticity
During October, the Exmoor farmers have been busy gathering in their Exmoor pony herds so the foals can be weaned and inspected - and it’s been a magnificent sight. Exmoor ponies are an endangered breed and an iconic part of Exmoor.
The pony gatherings have been taking place for many generations and one of the herds, Withypoole Herd 23 , is celebrating its 200th Anniversary. Owner, Rex Milton , said, “It’s tradition, every year we round up the ponies on Withypool Hill and Anstey Common and Herd 23 has been here for a very long time, since the 1800’s. We present the foals for inspection and registration and then hopefully find some good homes for them to go to. We’ve got to manage them in a traditional manner, they’re part of Exmoor and we’ve got to do the best we can for them.”
Herd 23 Exmoor ponies are famous for their bright bay and golden colouring. They're strong, up to height and retain the desired ‘true moorland type’ through living and breeding in their semi-feral, free-living environment. They make excellent riding and driving ponies as well as conservation grazers. The stallions Knightoncombe Royal and Combe Royal , run out on the moor with the mares. Unfortunately, The Aristocrat , who was running on Withypool Common is missing, presumed dead.
Rex’s brother, Robin Milton , co-owns the herd. “The family has been farming and keeping the ponies here for many generations. It’s part of the heritage and they’re part of Exmoor. It’s one of those iconic things that are specific to Exmoor. Pretty much every visitor and tourist you talk to wants to come and look at the scenery, the ponies and the red deer.”
Like other herd owners, the Miltons intend to keep one or two filly foals to perpetuate their herd. But colt foals cannot return to the moors and must find homes elsewhere as soon as possible after gathering. Exmoor ponies are an endangered breed and foal registrations are in alarming decline, with under sixty female foals pedigree registered for 2017 - worldwide. While care is being taken not to over-breed - and some herds are even taking a breeding rest - it’s also important to breed enough ponies to maintain a healthy gene pool. This autumn, MEPBG herds with some foals available include, Withypoole Herd 23 , Porlock Herd 100 and Tippbarlake Herd 387 .
With some of the farmers frustrated by lengthy delays in registering their ponies, which has in the past resulted in lost sales, this year the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG)
has decided to offer its breeders the opportunity to issue a special MEPBG Certificate of Authenticity
for the pedigree and non-pedigree Heritage Exmoor ponies they have bred on Exmoor. It will feature a special ‘Born & Bred’ Exmoor National Park logo
and map of the herds.
“The aim of the Certificate of Authenticity is to give the Exmoor ponies of Exmoor National Park better recognition and status - particularly the perfectly good population of Exmoor ponies currently languishing outside of pedigree registration through the absence of an upgrading system to the paper stud book.” said Dawn Westcott, MEPBG spokesperson and Exmoor Pony Project founder. “The general feeling within the MEPBG is that we should act to safeguard the ponies and this involves building their brand image and recognising their true type and authenticity. The new certificate will help to do that.”
If you're interested in finding out about the breed and this year’s foals, contact details for the herd owners can be found in the MEPBG Breeders Directory at http://www.mepbg.co.uk/about-MEPBG-directory
This article appears in the Western Morning News (26 October 2018) and the West Somerset Free Press (26 October 2018)
Photographs/film footage: Dawn Westcott, Millie Ker, Stefanie Schmidt
