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Report - 2018 Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival

Dawn Westcott • Sep 14, 2018

Report on events and activities from this year's festival and upcoming Celebrating Exmoor Ponies Exhibition at Toucan in Minehead

The Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival, organised by the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG) and Exmoor Pony Project, running throughout August, concludes with the Celebrating Exmoor Ponies Exhibition in Minehead during September and October.

Aiming to raise the profile of the endangered breed Exmoor ponies of Exmoor National Park, the festival kicked off in early August with author Dawn Westcott’s ‘Wild Pony Whispering Walk’ with real-life Exmoor pony characters Monsieur Chapeau, Monty and Princess Khaleesi. After a bracing climb up to Webber’s Post, walkers enjoyed lunch with spectacular views of Dunkery Beacon and the Horner River Valley.

Christina Williams led a walk and talk on her family’s Molland Moor to see the long-standing Exmoor pony herd there and learn more about the environment they live in and how it’s managed.

The spectacular gathering of the Floyd family’s magnificent free-living Tippbarlake Exmoor pony herd from Brendon Common drew an enthusiastic crowd, with the highlight seeing the ponies cascading down through Lancombe Crossing on their way up to Scobhill Gate.

Next came the MEPBG Exmoor Pony Show at Brendon Show , which went ahead despite an appalling weather forecast. Exmoor mare Yellowcombe Lapwing (Mr & Mrs NG Westcott) stood MEPBG Overall Supreme Champion and Overall Reserve Mountain & Moorland Champion, 2 year old gelding Farleywater Kenai (Mrs M Adams & Mrs H South) stood Overall Reserve Supreme and Moorbred Champion, gelding Monsieur Chapeau (Mr & Mrs NG Westcott) stood Non-Pedigree Champion and Reserve Moorbred Champion, and moorbred Que Sera Sera (Mrs B Rawle and ridden by Tara Hernaman-Wood) stood MEPBG Best Ridden Exmoor.

Local photographer Jamie Waters revealed how to get the best wildlife photographs at his popular workshop out on the Dunkery Commons, which included Red Deer and Exmoor ponies.

Later in August, West Exmoor National Trust Ranger Josey Field l ed a walk and talk on the breathtaking cliffs at Foreland Point , explaining how their Exmoor pony herd helps with the area’s conservation, and it was well attended despite another bout of inclement weather.

Jamie Waters led a wildlife walk out on Dunkery for people keen to understand more about the diverse flauna and flora within the dramatic 5000 acre moorland.

There was an amazing age range, from 16 to 90 years old, at Dawn Westcott’s Connecting With Exmoor Ponies Workshop , where participants explored herd dynamics and how to better understand and work with Exmoor ponies, building their trust and confidence. It was also a lovely opportunity to reunite the now thriving orphan foal, Tippbarlake Lady Luna , with one of the walkers, Rowan Wilde , who was in the group that discovered her during last year's Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival walk in the Hoar Oak Valley.

To conclude this year’s festival, from 18 September a group of photographers and artists will be displaying their work at the Celebrating Exmoor Ponies Exhibition at Toucan Wholefoods Cafe in Minehead for six weeks. Exhibits include paintings, canvasses, silk screen, felt artwork and photographic prints and some will be available for sale.

“The aim of the Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival is to promote awareness of the Exmoor Ponies of Exmoor National Park and, particularly of the small number of foals looking to find good homes after the autumn gatherings. This year the focus has been on getting people out and about to see the ponies, and better understand them, and we’re very encouraged by the interest, with some foals already being reserved to new homes.” said Nick Westcott, MEPBG Chairman . ‘The best time to purchase them is at weaning time in the autumn, when they need a helping hand to make the transition from the moor and become successfully socialised.”

More information about the Exmoor pony herds and how to handle and train Exmoor ponies can be found at www.mepbg.co.uk and www.wildponywhispering.co.uk.


Below: Images from the Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival Events. Our thanks to photographers - Geoff Baylis, Pandora Maund, Millie Ker and Dawn Westcott.


The Tippbarlake Exmoor Pony Herd Gathering

The Wild Pony Whispering Walk on the Dunkery Commons

The MEPBG Exmoor Pony Show Supreme Championship at Brendon Show

The Connecting with Exmoor Ponies Workshop

Rowan Wilde is reunited with rescued orphan wild-born foal Tippbarlake Lady Luna, who is now a yearling

The 'Celebrating Exmoor Ponies Exhibition' runs at Toucan Wholefoods Cafe in Minehead from 18 Sept to 30 October 2018.

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By Dawn Westcott • 25 Oct, 2023
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New Heritage Exmoor Pony & Equus Survival Trust DNA Project

By MEPBG • 28 Nov, 2021
DNA profiling for Exmoor ponies to authenticate lineage and safeguard their moorland heritage.

New DNA Profiling for MEPBG Exmoor Ponies

By Dawn Westcott • 22 Nov, 2021
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

Withypoole Herd 23 Exmoor Pony Gathering

By Dawn Westcott • 17 Oct, 2021
The historic autumn gathering of the Milton family's Withypoole Herd 23 in Exmoor National Park

NEW Exmoor stallion joins Tippbarlake Herd

By MEPBG • 11 Mar, 2021
Stunning young moorbred Herd 23 stallion, Withypoole King, bred by the Milton family, has joined the Tippbarlake herd mares on Brendon Common.

MEPBG Runs Out of Patience 

By MEPBG • 08 Nov, 2019
Five years and counting to improve registration issues and nonsense for moorland Exmoor ponies. The MEPBG has had enough.

2019 Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival

By Dawn Westcott • 24 Feb, 2019
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

Inspecting the Foreland Exmoor pony herd 

By Dawn Westcott • 09 Nov, 2018
An opportunity to see how the West Exmoor National Trust's Exmoor pony herd is doing - at their autumn gather and check

Beautiful Exmoor Ponies - NEW Short film

By Dawn Westcott • 06 Nov, 2018
Some amazing Moorland Exmoor pony footage for Exmoor pony lovers - enjoy!

Farmers gather in the Exmoor pony herds 

By Dawn Westcott • 27 Oct, 2018
Finding good homes for the small number of Exmoor of foals is boosted this year by the NEW MEPBG Certificate of Authenticity
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