A dozen or so Dartmoor Hill Ponies are huddled in small groups on the misty moor before us, with tails swishing, nostrils flaring gently and tangled manes blowing in the breeze.
Several are dozing with heads nodding low, bodies still. Others fuss over each other, nibbling at their backs with strong yellow teeth, satisfying the odd itch and gently whickering as their sweet, horsey smell drifts over.
A furry foal leaps and bounds and then takes shelter by her mother under the drizzle.
Two at the back are romping like teenagers – rearing up, play-fighting, jostling each other, then pausing to graze. Just as they have for nearly 4,500 years.
Because these wild ponies – none bigger than 12-and-a-half-hands high – are astonishingly hardy.
Ever since the Bronze Age, they have endured icy winters, blizzards and frozen streams, buffeting winds and hot, dry summers. Adapting and surviving thanks to their unique genetics, passed down through countless generations to today’s 1,000-strong herd.
And doing their bit to keep the 365-square-mile moor’s delicate ecosystem in balance.
But, sadly, not for much longer.
Because if Natural England gets its way, most of them will be culled in October – taken off the moors, euthanised with bolt guns and sent to the knacker’s yard. And the herd will be utterly decimated.
Yes, you read correctly, it is Natural England – the Government quango responsible for protecting the country’s land, flora and fauna – which has opened the door to a potential cull.
All of which has, not surprisingly, caused a right old furore.
It started when the organisation ruled that the “stocking density” – the number of livestock that farmers are permitted to keep – must be reduced on Dartmoor by between 50 and 89%, to prevent overgrazing, which reduces biodiversity.
And to the horror of farmers, landowners, conservationists and, particularly, members of the charity Friends of The Dartmoor Hill Pony (The Friends), for the first time wild ponies were regarded as livestock.
This means that farmers who graze their animals on the moor will be forced to choose between their cattle and sheep, which pay the bills, and their ponies, which don’t – despite attracting visitors from all around the world, as the emblem of Dartmoor National Park since 1951 and a crucial part of the heritage here. …
For as long as anyone can remember, the ponies have been part of the rugged landscape. Different colours and sizes, but all with the same genetic makeup....<<<Read More>>>....