Coming up - Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival
Starts 1 August - join us in celebration Exmoor Ponies of Exmoor National Park!
The fourth Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival will be celebrating the Exmoor ponies of Exmoor National Park during August and September, organised by local Exmoor farmers and land owners from the Moorland Exmoor Pony Breeders Group (MEPBG) and Exmoor Pony Project.
This year, the focus is on encouraging people out onto the moor to see the ponies in their natural environment and understand more about this iconic, ancient native pony breed that we’re all working hard to safeguard. As an endangered breed, every Exmoor pony is important and with far fewer foals being bred, we’re keen to raise the profile of the ponies and connect with more people - so the foals who have to leave the moors in the autumn can find good homes.
On Wednesday 1 Aug festival goers can enjoy a walk with Exmoor pony characters from Dawn Westcott’s Wild PonyWhispering books, on the breathtakingly beautiful Dunkery Commons where orphan foal Monsieur Chapeau was rescued in 2014. On Saturday 4 Aug, Christina Williams from the Molland Estate will lead a special hour-long walk and talk on Molland Moor, explaining about the long-standing herd of Exmoor ponies and the moor they live on. On Monday 6 Aug, spectators and riders are invited by the Floyd family to join the magnificent Tippbarlake ponygathering from Brendon Common to the home farm at Brendon Barton.
There’s a day out for the whole family on Sunday 12 August at Brendon Show, which hosts the MEPBG ExmoorPony Show with its classes for both pedigree and non-pedigree Exmoor ponies. This year the Molland Estate has sponsored a hefty £100 cash prize for the MEPBG Supreme Exmoor Pony Champion and the M&M and Exmoorpony classes will be held in the main ring to celebrate the British Native Breeds. Brendon Show also offers horse and pony showing classes, show jumping (Cricklands qualifier), gymkhana, sheep show, dog show, stags horns, vintage machinery, bar, refreshments and trade stands at one of Exmoor’s longest-standing events.
If you want to improve your wildlife photography skills, then join local photographer Jamie Waters workshop on Wednesday 15 Aug, which starts at Webber’s Post on the Dunkery Commons. And on Sunday 19 Aug, West Exmoor National Trust ranger, Josey Field, will lead a walk and talk around stunning Foreland Point and explain the conservation role of the Exmoor ponies there. Don’t put your walking boots away just yet, because on Wednesday 22 Aug, Jamie Waters is meeting at Brockwell, Wootton Courtenay, to lead a wildlife walk out on the moor. On Saturday 25 Aug Dawn Westcott is hosting an Exmoor Pony Project workshop which offers participants the opportunity to meet the Exmoor pony herd close up and explore how to connect and build trust with the ponies and better understand them.
And finally, an eclectic display of Exmoor pony photography and artwork will be on display from 17 September for six weeks, at the Toucan Wholefoods Cafe in Minehead, with some of the exhibits and prints available for sale.
“Some of the events are free and others are fundraising for the Exmoor Pony Project. We hope people will come along and enjoy these unique opportunities to meet and find out more about Exmoor ponies.”
The full Heritage Exmoor Pony Festival calendar of events and contact details can be found at http://www.mepbg.co.uk/2018-heritage-exmoor-pony-festival.
