Two New Additions to the Exmoor Pony Herd
We have two new additions to the Exmoor herd on Skipwith Common National Nature Reserve, Lark and Taurus. These hardy ponies provide a range of natural processes across the reserve, thriving on a site with its mixed habitats of heath, grassland, mixed woodland, scrub, bogs and ponds.
Exmoor ponies Lark, a mare and Taurus a gelding were brought to Skipwith Common NNR in North Yorkshire in mid April from a site in Nidderdale. Escrick Park Estate owns the Common and manages the reserve with the local Natural England team.
In an agreement with the Yorkshire Exmoor Pony Trust the ponies are joining the small herd on the Common to live there permanently. The herd has the run of the 650 acre NNR living a semi-wild life which in turn provides a range of natural processes across the reserve.
On arrival Lark & Taurus were put in a 12 acre ‘paddock’ for a few days to get used to their new surroundings and to allow the 4 ponies already on the reserve to come and investigate the new residents. After a few days the ponies were released on to the wider reserve and we will be checking on them to see how they settle.
The Exmoor ponies thrive in this large site with its mixed habitats of heath, grassland, mixed woodland, scrub, bogs and ponds. They are able to use the site as they require feeding on certain plants at particular times of the year, sheltering from the sun, wind and rain as necessary and dust bathing as they need.
The three organisations involved in the welfare of the ponies – Escrick Park Estate, Yorkshire Exmoor Pony Trust and Natural England – ask that you do not feed the ponies. The ponies regulate their own food and water intake as required to enable them to thrive in this environment and go through natural cycles of size and condition change.
Feeding the ponies runs a strong risk of causing problems such as laminitis and colic which at the very least means we have to gather them up and get the vet out and in worst cases can result in losing the pony or ponies.
If, when visiting, you have any concerns about the ponies or any of the other livestock on the reserve please contact us – phone numbers are on the boards placed around the Common.
The Common is big enough that the ponies can generally get out of the way of people if they want to however dogs off leads can spook the ponies and this can result in injury to the ponies, please keep your dogs on a lead to safeguard the livestock.
We hope you enjoy catching a glimpse of the Exmoor ponies and hope that you agree that they look perfectly at home on the Common.