The Adventures Of A Person And Their Ponies

On my Etsy Saturday 16th November, 7PM GMT eredhes.etsy.com

pinto & appaloosa mapping

Mikey is happiest when hacking out right now. That’s totally fine with me - our “woods” rides seem to be helping us find each other again.

🌾🌾🌾

HORSE.

“Carneddau pony foal in the heather. The Carneddau pony is one of the most special pony breeds alive today. The romantic story is that they escaped a cull ordered by Henry VIII as they couldn’t carry a Knight in Armour. The truth is perhaps a little more boring. Henry VIII certainly wanted to “improve” the general quality of horses, and his Acts in 1535 & 1541 were more related to commons grazing. It seems Henry did not want good grazing to be taken by “poor” animals. He wanted the poor, old, and infirm animals removed or culled - and this was done annually which is where the practice of gathering has some roots! What is so unique is that these ponies have never been “developed” - there are no imported breeds in them like their is with their close cousin the Welsh Mountain Pony (breeds like the Arabian and the Barb). They’ve roamed the Carneddau mountains for centuries & are found there today. They are managed in much the same way as they were historically - they are living history! DNA studies show them to have a shared ancestry with Welsh Mountain (Section A) Ponies, but they are genetically distinct enough to be their own breed. They hold valuable genes and need to be protected. These ponies are incredibly important to the ecology of Snowdonia National Park” -  ruthonthehoof

Cloudy out

The places she takes me and the sights that we find 🍃