Ponies As Conservation Grazers – A Good Idea?

Ponies are absolutely amazing conservation grazers in the right circumstances – they eat the right plants to maintain the habitats, let the wild flowers grow, and therefore encourage insects and wildlife to flourish - which is great if you are someone who is into conservation and wildlife management.  It can be brilliant, and brings benefits to both the ponies and the sites!

What is extremely frustrating is our awareness of wildlife groups across the country who have often bought in conservation ponies as management tools – literally with the idea of them being eating machines to keep the grass down on their reserves…but time and time again problems arise (and the same reoccurring problems across the country).

Management of ponies is quite different to other livestock and it is not just as simple as having a large area of long, luscious grass that needs to be eaten down.  Too much grass will lead to laminitic ponies.  Unfortunately we have seen too many cases now of conservation ponies with severe laminitis and pedal bone rotation – including older ponies with severe damage to their feet.  One national organisation had the management strategy of waiting until the pony was so laminitic it stayed lying down (still eating the grass!) and then they could take the pony a bowl of food with Bute in it each day until it could get up and walk again.  Year upon year, this led to irreversible damage.  

I recently saw a herd of 2 year old conservation ponies who all had pedal bone rotation – so frustrating to see, especially when they are so young.  The right species and varieties of plants and landscapes are amazingly beneficial to ponies…but overload them with the wrong food and there will be health consequences. 

Certain areas of Bodmin of course are the other extreme of this!  Whereas most calls we have are in the summer after ponies have consumed too much grass, there are sometimes circumstances where in the winter there is not enough food.  Even in lowland areas we have seen conservation ponies left with NOTHING to eat – a barren landscape - the excuse being the ponies can’t be fed hay because of the conservation status of the land.  

There needs to be a balance – with the numbers of animals and the suitability of the land.  Ponies may need to be restricted in spring/summer months, and they may need to be removed from certain areas for a period of time – in the winter if there isn’t enough to eat…or in the summer if the area is too intensively grazed to benefit the site long-term.  If the site is just right - variety of vegetation, landscape, and the right number of ponies, then it is very possible to achieve healthy ponies with no restriction - but this is not true of all sites.

We absolutely love to have ponies conservation grazing but it needs to be a harmonious scenario between the ponies, the people and the wildlife sites.  The sites can be managed in a way which is harmonious to everyone.

Ponies also need to be checked every day just as other livestock are – checked for health problems, availability of water, and to make sure all ponies are present (no problems with fencing, accidents etc).

One of my personal frustrations is the ethical sourcing of ponies – it seems astonishing to me that despite the number of equine welfare organisations/rescue centres across the country with ponies for rehoming, conservation organisations have been paying horse dealers hundreds of pounds per unhandled, non-pedigree pony from the moorland areas – ponies worth no more than £10 at market.  The dealers do well making a handsome profit and the deal does nothing to stem the mass overbreeding on certain moorland areas.  Through such deals, conservation groups have a herd of wild ponies arrive - that are unloaded and disappear off into the distance – which works OK until there is a problem.  The wardens (who often have no equine experience anyway) are then left with the conundrum of what to do with a poorly, unhandleable pony…or even one that just needs its feet trimming…which in some cases has led to health and safety nightmares! …Not great for the pony…or the people either.   Having ponies which have already had basic handling makes everyone’s life so much easier – it is safer for staff and much easier to trim feet or have routine healthcare issues attended to.

So…ponies are amazing conservation grazers…under the right management and circumstances.

If you are interesting in acquiring conservation ponies we recommend:

•  Assessing the site and its suitability for ponies throughout all the seasons of the year.
• Be prepared to adapt the management of the site to the ponies – do not to expect the ponies to cope with any amount of grass/food – particularly if introducing them for the first time to a site with large areas of long, luscious grass…To stay healthy, the ponies may need to have areas of grass restricted.  
• Choose ponies without previous history of laminitis or sweet-itch.
• Choose ponies which already have a level of basic handling – it is possible to have ponies trained to a level where they are “wild but handleable” in that they do not approach people willingly but can be handled safely (headcollared, led, have feet picked up) once in an enclosed area (good for areas with public footpaths etc) BUT their handlers need training in order for this to be possible.  Some sites/handlers may prefer tamer ponies.
• Have a plan of what to do when a pony is poorly– number of vet, safe enclosed area to remove the pony to, headcollar and leadrope available etc.  Also consider other extreme events - is the area prone to flooding, if so where can the ponies be moved to so they are not at risk; if it snows all winter how will the ponies be fed and what will they be fed on?
• Ethically source ponies – look at charities who have ponies available for conservation grazing, try to stem the overbreeding rather than encouraging it.  Depending on your experience, it may be better to loan ponies from charities who will be responsible for their healthcare, handling, transport etc but rely on landowners/wardens to ensure daily checks, fencing, water provision etc.
• Ponies must have daily checks, safe and secure fencing, and a clean/safe water supply (if in a mining area or if you are located downstream from one it might be sensible to pay for a livestock water check to ensure there is no pollution/heavy metal content).

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