Adorable Exmoor ponies released to munch on invasive plants at Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales

LITTLE altered since the Ice Age, Britain’s oldest breed of native pony is a hardy breed, which can put up with the toughest of conditions.
Exmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh released on land by Malham Tarn to join Puffin and HoneysuckleExmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh released on land by Malham Tarn to join Puffin and Honeysuckle
Exmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh released on land by Malham Tarn to join Puffin and Honeysuckle

Exmoor ponies are best known for roaming the moors of the Exmoor National Park in south west England.

But for the past year visitors have been able to see two Exmoor ponies grazing around Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales.

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Puffin - named after the Northumberland Coast - where he came from and a small female called Honeysuckle are there to try and tackle the invasive plants encroaching on the protected habitat.

Exmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh getting used to their new home at Malham TarnExmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh getting used to their new home at Malham Tarn
Exmoor ponies Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh getting used to their new home at Malham Tarn

Now they have been joined by two more mares - called Reddycombe and Cannerhaugh - from Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve in Lancashire, who will have plenty to go at given that there are 43 hectares to graze.

The ponies are ideal as they like to chomp at aggressive plant species such as common reed and willow, making room for rare plants to thrive and benefitting insects, invertebrates and nesting birds on the fen and moorland of the reserve.

They only need supplementary feeding in prolonged periods of snow, as they can dig down to get at the roots of reeds.

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General manager for the National Trust Martin Davies said Puffin and Honeysuckle are “mostly docile” but every now and again “tear across the fen from sheer joy”.

There's now a small herd of four ponies at Malham TarnThere's now a small herd of four ponies at Malham Tarn
There's now a small herd of four ponies at Malham Tarn

People really like seeing them out there. Although they are semi-wild they will come close to the boardwalk and will stand and look at you.

“When they first arrived they stayed on one part of the reserve, but during lockdown they got braver and started to wander further afield.”

Although Puffin will have two new additions to his harem, there won’t be any offspring, as he has been gelded.

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Area Ranger Róisín Black said one day they hoped to have up to five ponies grazing.

She said: “Our monitoring has shown that the ponies are having a positive effect in improving the diversity of plant species and controlling some areas that were becoming dominated by common reed and willow, as well as meadowsweet and molinia.

“The ponies we have are doing a great job but they’re only small, and with 43 hectares to graze there’s more than enough room for our two new additions.

“Increasing the numbers will potentially change their grazing behaviour across the site and we look forward to seeing more positive results from our herd of four.”

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The Exmoor is thought to be little different from the original wild ponies that colonised the nation thousands of years ago.

With an average height of about 12 hands, the Exmoor is reputed to be a sturdy pony, well-proportioned and sure footed.

It has a large, well-shaped head with “toad eyes”, with fleshy ridges above and below to channel rain away from the eyes.

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