New pony centre to support Exmoor ponies

The new centre will give an extra dimension to the work done by the Moorland Mousie Trust, a charity whose purpose is to promote the Exmoor pony. Even though the pony is a strong heritage symbol of the Exmoor area, there were no facilities available for visitors and tourists to look at, handle and learn about the breed. The trust secured the lease on a redundant farm building together with just under seven hectares of land with a further 56 hectares of moorland made available by the Exmoor National Park, but needed help with the development costs for the centre.

The RES grant supported the provision of a covered, all-weather training and riding surface, a raised viewing gallery for spectators and visitors for lectures and demonstrations, facilities for pony care, saddlery, storage of feed and bedding, an office space for administration of the charity's work and a trekking operation.

Valerie Sherwin, chief executive of the Exmoor Pony Centre, said: “I have this absolute passion for Exmoor ponies and the development of the centre means that visitors can find out more about the breed, see them, and trek on Exmoor on them to see other ponies in the wild. It means there are facilities for viewing, handling and training the ponies for a useful life - an important part of the Moorland Mousie Trust's work.

"Exmoor ponies are a fantastic breed, as despite being relatively small they were used extensively by Exmoor farmers before mechanization, for pulling carts and ploughs, and for transport. We're looking forward to introducing visitors to the delights of this special breed.”

Exmoor pones are in decline, and the Moorland Mousie Trust takes surplus foals from the moor at weaning, handling them, and then placing them in permanent or foster homes until they are old enough to be trained as riding ponies. Since the trust was formed in 2000, 140 Exmoor ponies have been successfully fostered. Some of the ponies are used to establish herds of conservation grazers in a wide range of reserves and country parks throughout Britain. There is currently a waiting list for them.

Helen Merchant, RDS adviser said: “This is great news for Exmoor as the initiative will create two full time jobs, plus seasonal positions within this very rural area. The new Exmoor Pony Centre should attract pony enthusiasts to the area and will be a wonderful

window for the work of the charity. The fact that there is a waiting list for ponies as conservation grazers means that the work of the charity is actually supporting conservation measures throughout the South West and beyond. Our support means they can continue to progress in developing part of Exmoor's unique heritage.”