THE LIFE OF THE EXMOOR PONY - an illustrated talk by Alison Kent on

12 April 2005

Alison Kent is a Senior Ranger with the Exmoor National Park - with special responsibility for managing the Exmoor ponies which roam the moor.  She began her talk by explaining the history of the breed, the ancestry of the Exmoor pony can be traced back to the earliest horses to roam the earth - the pure bred pony is managed to very strict criteria and only the best of the type are used for breeding.   We were guided through a year in the life of a herd of ponies - from their winter survival in very tough conditions - through the birth of the foals in the spring to the high summer with plenty of grazing and then to the autumn round up for inspection, health checks and branding of the young stock.  The ponies are sturdy and strong willed - and therefore not an ideal ride for a young child, but make good event ponies and are excellent for carriage driving or where farmers still ride out to check their sheep in preference to the modern quad bike!

Alison's enthusiasm and love for her subject was very evident and this was an extremely interesting talk, illustrated with some excellent slides.

ELS