• Pony Update December 2008

On Sunday 28th and Wednesday 31st December we are running a free 2 hr walk around Bellever. Giving you the opportunity to learn more about:

Bellever Through The Ages

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) is a registered charity; its primary aim is to preserve the remaining herds of indigenous Dartmoor ponies remaining on the commons of Dartmoor. The DPHT runs a herd of Dartmoor Ponies on the moorland areas of Bellever. During your visit you will learn how these tough ponies are integral to the management of the Dartmoor landscape and how Dartmoor was formed. You will also discover how Bellever, which sits in the heart of the National Park has changed over the past 3 millions years, through the influence of weathering and man.

If you would like to join us for either walk please book your free places with Dru Butterfield on 01626 355314 or email dru@dpht.co.uk

• Update - November 2008

Here’s a chance to get involved and to give something back. We all love walking on the moor and wondering at the pre-history around us. The area of moorland around Bellever Tor is in need of man/woman/child power to keep conifer saplings at bay. Please consider giving up a day, half a day or just a couple of hours for a stint of “Moorland Gardening” and make a real difference to conservation on Dartmoor.

This type of work is very rewarding, good fun and there’s a free light lunch provided.

 Dates:   Sunday 16^th November 10 - 3

            Tuesday 18^th November 10 – 3

If you can help please let Dru Butterfield know: email dru@dpht.co.uk  or ring 01626 355314

Go on, you know you want to!

A Dartmoor Pony Adoption Gift Pack makes a perfect present

If someone in your family – young or old – loves horses and ponies, but buying a real one is simply not an option, the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) has the perfect solution - ADOPT A PONY – and follow its progress all year round.

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) runs an Adoption Scheme as part of its work to ensure that the traditional type of Dartmoor pony does not become extinct. Single-coloured with long manes and tails, Heritage Dartmoors still run wild and free on Dartmoor, but their numbers are declining. 

The cost is just £16 per year.  The Adoption Pack includes a beautiful line drawing and an adoption certificate and you’ll also receive updates on the development and progress of the pony you have chosen.

The pony you adopt, whether male or female, will be one of a small traditional herd cared for at the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Centre, near Dartmeet on Dartmoor. These are ponies for everyone to enjoy and here you will be able to visit them, follow their interesting lives, discover their true value and how important they are to the Dartmoor landscape.

By adopting one of our ponies you will be contributing to our registered charity and helping us to increase knowledge and awareness of this endangered breed. These ponies, all of which are owned by the pony keepers and farmers on Dartmoor, are part of Dartmoor’s heritage.  Your valuable support will help to ensure the continuation of the wild native Dartmoor pony gene pool so vital to their survival.

To start off your relationship with your Adopted Pony, why not come to our Meet the Pony Day’ – on 29^th December, between 11am and 3pm.  It will be an opportunity for anyone who has adopted, is considering doing so or would like to find out more about our work to come and visit the two and four legged folk at our centre. Hot drinks, mince pies and a walk with the ponies. Booking is essential.…….

George, Charlie, Golden Flame and Rolo look forward to meeting you and to becoming part of your family.

If you are interested in adopting a Dartmoor Heritage Pony please write to:

DPHT – Dartmoor, PO Box 397, Newton Abbot, TQ12 9AT or visit our website www.dpht.co.uk or phone Dru Butterfield on 01626 355314 to find out more.

If you simply wish to make a donation to assist with our work, please do get in touch – your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

HERITAGE DARTMOOR PONIES FOR SALE

We have a number of Heritage Dartmoor ponies and foals that we know are for sale, and the Trust is here to act as ‘contact maker’ between potential buyers and sellers.

The benefit is that we know the ponies – but we are independent and can assess every individual enquiry so that any suggestions we make are based on good knowledge, rather than you – as a potential buyer – not knowing anything about a pony in an advert or on a list somewhere.

We also know how much handling the ponies have had, what their strong points are and any weaker areas that will need addressing.  All these factors of course make it vital that good matches are made, to ensure happy, permanent homes and wonderful relationships between owners and ponies.

So whether you are looking for a youngster as a pet or companion, or to bring on for riding later on, or are an experienced home looking for a pony to ride now, you can be sure of receiving good advice from an organisation that needs to ensure good matches are made, so that our reputation – and that of every pony – remains as high as it is now.

Dartmoor Heritage ponies come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and temperaments – the right match is critical. 

As we come into the Winter of 2008, finding homes for ponies will be ever more difficult.  Unhandled foals coming into the markets, need every chance they can get, and the Heritage Trust will be working with the Pony Keepers and other Dartmoor Pony and Environmental Authorities, to assist with finding solutions for all the ponies that need to be sold. 

In the meantime, if you are looking for something that is not wild and has been given a good start in life, plus wish to help us to ensure the long term survival of the Heritage Dartmoor, please call us now to find out more – and we can talk about ponies that might be suitable for you.

These ponies are sensibly priced to reflect not only the investment in handling and care that they have received.  This means that new owners have a pony whose background they can be sure of, plus an open line for support in the early days of purchase.  It also means a viable income for the breeders and pony keepers, so that they can carry on breeding these ponies and improving their quality and performance.  

Without the DPHT’s investment and support for both the pony and the Keeper, we are in danger of losing the foundation Heritage herd. 

For further information please speak to Dru Butterfield on 01626 355314 or email dru@dpht.co.uk or visit our Sales List.  We look forward to hearing from you.

• Update - September 2008

   

Bellever Volunteer Days - Hard work, good fun and even better company.

16 & 18 November 10am until 3pm both days. Scrub clearance at Bellever. Wear old clothing and good boots, all tools supplied and a light lunch (homemade soup and a pasty). As much help as we can get will be greatly appreciated. Telephone Dru Butterfield for further details 01626 355314 or email dru@dpht.co.uk 

Some background Information

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust was fortunate to acquire a ten year tenancy agreement from the Forestry Commission to graze 84ha of moorland at Bellever, near Postbridge. We use a herd of approximately 20 ponies to graze this important moorland site. Pony grazing helps maintain the biodiversity on the moor, by controlling the coarse, thick grasses such as Milinia (Purple Moor Grass). This enables the all important heather plants not to be overtaken by hardier vegetation. We are very keen to protect and increase our cover of heather as it is such an important plant to the flora and fauna of Dartmoor. Heather can be used as a yardstick to assess the healthiness of the area for wildlife.

Ponies are one of the most important grazing tools in moorland land management; unfortunately they do not eat the small conifers which will pop up from time to time. Managing a site within a 1,000 acre conifer plantation requires annual sapling removal from the moorland. We carry this work out during the autumn and winter months to avoid disturbance of nesting birds.

Our clearance days are run on a regular basis and are suited to all age groups. All events are attended by Liz Miall, a highly qualified and knowledgeable walks leader and Dru Butterfield, Charity Manager of the DPHT. The ladies will be able to give you plenty of background on the wonderful heritage of Bellever, its archaeology, ecology and of course the ponies!

Please contact Dru Butterfield on 01626 355314 or email dru@dpht.co.uk to book a day. Booking is essential as a light lunch (homemade soup and a pasty) is supplied.

The DPHT team will be at Widecombe Fair on Tuesday 9th September. If you are interested in fostering a foal, helping on our scrub clearance days at Bellever, have a question, looking for a pony to buy or just want to meet our adoption ponies George and Golden Flame. Do come along to see us. We look forward to meeting old and new friends.

• Make a Rosette
• Kiddy pony quiz
• Sign up as a volunteer or foster home
• Meet the breeders and pony trainers - free handling tips
• 3 x half hour talks about the ponies spread throughout the day
• Apple Obstacle course, visitors are invited to groom, learn how to pick up feet and take the pony over the obstacle course. We'll fill a big bucket up with apples, the ponies have to take one out, have you ever heard of ponies apple bobbing, well here's your chance, then go through the line of apples hanging down on strings (without eating one), go through the cones (don't knock off the apples),  over the tarpaulin, pick up the umbrella with apple pieces stuck on it and back to the start. Fastest time wins an Adoption gift pack picked at the end of the day. Charge - £1 . A pony handler stays with the entrant at all times to help them handle the pony.
• Dartmoor National Park promotional trailer - to be confirmed.

For further information please contact Dru Butterfield - 01626 355314 or visit the Occombe Farm website: http://www.countryside-trust.org.uk/Occombe/aboutus/contactus.php

The Annual Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Showcase and Sale Day, held 19 July at John French’s farm at Holne, near Ashburton, was a resounding success.

Says Dru Butterfield, Trust Manager:  “We had at least a couple of hundred people visit on the day, to see just how special these ponies are.  Some 20 volunteer pony handlers, working with specialist trainers, had handled the ponies in the week leading up to the sale, so that even those who had been previously totally untouched, were leading, going into a trailer, picking up their feet for the farrier and coping with a demanding obstacle course, by the Saturday.  As the visitors agreed, there are not many breeds that have this kind of placid, willing temperament to learn so fast!”

A good number of ponies were sold on the day and the Trust is following up with several other potential buyers, aiming to ‘fit’ them to the pony that is right for them and their families.  “This is not a quick-sale auction day,” said Dru.  “We work hard to create manageable ponies and then suit them to the right homes.  In that way, everyone wins.”

One family took home Thistle, a bay yearling filly bred by Tim Whitley from Widecombe-In-The-Moor. New owner, Tracy Copeman, who lives in Torquy, was looking for a pony that would make over 12hh, primarily for her 4-year-old daughter to grow into as the pony grows up.

Says Tracey:  “Going to the DPHT Sale was a perfect way to look at several ponies and learn more about Dartmoors.  Dru gave us really sensible advice and guidance and was totally honest about every pony we considered, bearing in mind our particular needs. I knew I should find a pony with the temperament, soundness and hardiness that the Dartmoors are known for, but Thistle also stood out from the crowd, as she is really fantastic looking and had proved how quickly she could learn in just four days’ handling by Dru and her team.”

“Thistle is already making good progress and I know that without the fantastic, solid, sympathetic start she was given by the volunteer handlers from the DPHT, my job now would be so much harder! 

The DPHT has been instrumental in the sale of 55 ponies, to a value of some £16,000, since April this year.  That is a remarkable achievement against an increasingly tough economic climate.  Through working with the pony breeders to improve the types of Heritage ponies being bred, ensuring they are handled and – most importantly – providing a channel of communication and a ‘route’ for both potential buyers and sellers, the DPHT is finding that this part of their activities is growing rapidly.

The Trust has a number of super ponies, varying in age, size and experience, on its books, seeking good homes. 

Please take a look at the website, www.dpht.co.uk or call Dru on 01626 355314 to find out more.

DPHT Annual Report – 2007 / 2008

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction – John F Kennedy

2007 has been a year a successful year in establishing the breadth of work undertaken by the DPHT. We are now starting to reap the rewards from the previous year’s strategy to grow.

We have concentrated on the following key areas:

Dartmoor Pony Preservation Scheme

• Our annual grant of £25,000 from the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund (DSDF) was not continued and in October 2007 following our annual inspection of Heritage herds we administered the final support payments to pony keepers partaking in the Dartmoor Pony Preservation Scheme. This caused some concern as we had always discussed a six year support package ending in 2010. However, we did secure three further years funding for a value added initiative from the same funding source.
• The DPHT produced a booklet to promote the use of Dartmoor ponies for conservation grazing. This was mail dropped to 1,200 ecologists and land managers throughout the UK.
• The new DSDF grant enabled us to run a value added initiative. Concentrating on handling young stock and castrating colts not suitable for breeding. We also ran a foal foster scheme, 28 foals were homed for the winter period. Alongside an aggressive marketing campaign, an annual private sale and promotion of ponies for conservation grazing. The Trust has been directly responsible for selling in excess of 100 ponies for local pony keepers for above market prices.
• The DPHT worked in partnership with the Dartmoor Pony Society and Natural England to create a specific Heritage Trust List, allowing true to type moor bred ponies the opportunity to be officially recognised by the Dartmoor Pony Society as Heritage Ponies. HTL status has helped improve the value of these ponies as they are now eligible for the lucrative Higher Level Stewardship Scheme – Native Breeds at Risk Supplement payment.

Education Programme

• The DPHT has continued to grow its educational facility and achieved 21 educational visits based on a 2 hour visit throughout the last year. We worked with a range of primary and secondary schools.

• We also visited a number of local schools to give talks.

• In November we visited the Equestrian Unit at Bicton College for a 3 day pony handling course, working with over 100 students.

• We continue to visit local WI’s, providing an hours talk about the work of the Trust and ponies on the moor.

• Our work with hard to reach audiences continues to grow; we worked closely with students from Millford Special Needs School and Downham College, culminating in a successful if not soggy Ten Tors event. We were delighted to welcome students from West of England School for Little or No Sight and had a wonderful day introducing the ponies to these delightful children.

• The Prince’s Trust visited on two occasions for a full days entertainment based around equine behaviour, all participants were eager to return unfortunately funds did not allow us to continue this work as our insurance did not cover young offenders and was cost prohibitive, something we hope to change in the next financial year.

• The DPHT gave 3 wild foal handling demonstrations at Pennywell Farm, Cotehele and Bicton College all three events were well attended and ponies were sold on the back of such positive handling sessions. Pony handling sessions were offered throughout the autumn and many people booked on our courses to participate.

• The DPHT ran a training day for National Trust wardens in November teaching handling techniques for managing semi-feral ponies. The event was a great success and secured further sales of ponies to NT. The training event will be repeated again next year.

Income Generation

• The DPHT successfully secured a Service Level Agreement with the Dartmoor National Park Authority to provide education, herd inspections and promotion of the Dartmoor Pony.
• We also secured three further years funding from the Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund to run a value added initiative.
• In February we secured a 10 year tenancy agreement with the Forestry Commission to take over the grazing of 84ha of moorland surrounding Bellever Tor. Shortly following this opportunity we were successful in applying for a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme agreement for the next 10 years.

Publicity, Promotion and Media Coverage.

The DPHT has focused on building a strong image, we promote our work through a variety of media and have received, national and regional television coverage (Johnny Kingdom series) national and local radio (Matt Baker half hour Radio 4), plus a number of features in local press and magazines. We have a super website which has helped increase our opportunities to promote our work and sales of ponies.

Furthermore, we have formed excellent working relationships with the following statutory bodies: Forestry Commission, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Natural England and Devon County Council.

We have particularly strong partnerships with the Duchy of Cornwall, Harbour Drug and Alcohol Service, Hamoaze House, Devon Discovery, West of England School for Little or No Sight, Millford Special Needs School, National Trust and GAP (Grazing Animal Project). These relationships continue to grow for mutual benefit.

None of the above would have been possible to achieve without the blood, sweat and often tears from our wonderful team of volunteers and trustees. A huge thank you to you all.

As we look to next year with the threat of ever changing legislation which has been so detrimental to the viability of our Heritage ponies, we can only take a deep breath, recognise our achievements to date and fight harder for our emblem of Dartmoor.

Abraham Lincoln said: Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle – here’s to another year of hustling!

Mrs. Dru Butterfield

Charity Manager

Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust

Registered charity no. 1109196

TRAINING DAYS

Join our team for a week of pony handling and training from the 14th to 18th July - preparing ponies for our annual sale. 30 unhandled ponies will be arriving at our sale site near Ashburton in need of handling and prepartion for sale, join the team for an unforgettable experience.

If you would like to book on to a day or weeks course or have further questions regarding this area of our work please contact: Dru Butterfield- Charity Manager, Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust - 01626 355 314 Or email us

The DPHT Annual General Meeting will be held on the 27th June at Brimpts Farm -12noon. Immediately followed by a trustee meeting.

Jubilee Challenge Special.

 Dartmoor Ponies making the difference at this year’s Ten Tors.

Jubilee Challenge, 2008.

This is a red letter day on the calendar for our charity because it is one of the ways we show everyone about our work with less fortunate children and at the same time promote the Heritage Pony.

The Jubilee Challenge is a demanding one day event designed for young people with special physical or educational needs.

Held on the Saturday of Ten Tors weekend, the Jubilee Challenge entrants share the same pressures, achievements - and weather - as the Ten Tors Teams!

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust ponies are used to motivate and encourage students around the route!

The ponies were prepared on the Friday before the big day, groomed, fed and watered; and were driven over to a holding area near to the start area, by Dru and Donna. They were met by Vanessa, Phillip, Emma and Kerry who settled the ponies in readiness for Saturday.

Three of the DPHT’s adoption ponies; Golden Flame, George, Rolo and pack-ponies Boss and Frosty walked with the students on the eight mile route.

Golden Flame, George and Rolo thoroughly enjoyed all the fuss and attention. Boss and Frosty have been involved with the Trust’s Education Programme for the last year and took part for the first time. This was our largest entry of ponies to date.

The weather was kinder than last year and all the ponies, handlers and children completed the course safely. As you sit reading this page think how much effort those children put in to completing the course, some in pain, some with little or no sight and some with extreme walking problems. Humbling, isn’t it? The smiles of achievement were all we need to make us sure that next year, we will do it again. I have laid a bet that Dru says,” Next year were are taking ten”. Her enthusiasm knows no bounds and without her a lot of what we do would not happen.

7am on Saturday  5th April 20 Dartmoor Heritage Ponies arrived in Norfolk, 16 ponies for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) and 4 ponies for Norfolk County Council.

After successfully selling 16 ponies in 2006 to NWT, Grazing Officer Mel Slote returned to Dartmoor  to purchase a further 16 ponies for a new 500 acre site.

We are glad to report all ponies came off the lorry fit and well and showed no signs of stress or fatigue. In fact true to type they quickly had their heads straight down to eat. 

These ponies make such wonderful conservation grazing machines that it shouldn't be long before we are able to confirm more orders. 

Mel Slote spent two days with Dru Butterfield DPHT Charity Manager. Day one was a training day run inconjunction with Positive Horsemanship in handling techniques for semi-feral ponies, whilst Day two, was a whirl wind visit of local pony keepers. A thoroughly enjoyable couple of days for all concerned.

Teignbridge District Council has recently purchased five Dartmoor Heritage ponies for conservation grazing on their internationally important dune grassland habitat at Dawlish Warren. The ponies were sourced with help from the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust with funding coming from Natural England. Together with Positive Horsemanship, the Trust also helped train the site's Rangers how to handle the ponies safely.

Dawlish Warren is a National Nature Reserve situated at the mouth of the River Exe in South Devon. The site supports over 2000 species of invertebrates and 620 different plants, many of them rare species. The area also provides a haven for birdlife. Conservation grazing is essential to maintain the site in good order for its many wild and human visitors.

When Teignbridge District Council, who own and manage the site, decided they needed to introduce conservation grazing, they contacted the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust (DPHT) for help in finding suitable ponies. The ponies were selected from a traditional Dartmoor herd kept at Frenchbeer Farm, Chagford, by Mike Malseed.

The mares will spend the autumn and winter at Dawlish Warren and the remaining half of the year on National Trust land along the South Devon coast path near Kingswear. The coastal sites are similar to Dartmoor in many ways, having plenty of gorse and rough vegetation that benefits from being controlled by grazing. Dartmoor ponies are ideally suited to conservation grazing on such sites. Unlike cattle and sheep, they will graze for up to 18 hours a day and they are adapted to survive on vegetation that has little nutritive value. In addition, the traditional Dartmoor Heritage ponies are eligible for payments through the Native Breeds at Risk Supplement (Higher Stewardship Scheme) run by Natural England. <

The DPHT offered to handle the mares before they went to their new home and it was decided to incorporate the pony handling into a full two-day training course for all the Rangers involved. Six members of staff from Teignbridge District Council and the National Trust learned how to rope and handle feral Dartmoor ponies, while maintaining the ponies' wariness of people. It was important to get the right balance, since if ponies become too tame they can become a nuisance in public areas and both sites have high visitor numbers; so achieving the balance between wildness and the ponies being manageable is vital.  "We needed the ponies to avoid people but be manageable by us," said Phil Chambers, Senior Ranger at Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve. "In two days, we - and the ponies - were trained to the point where we can halter them and carry out inspection and work on hooves, but the ponies still avoid approaching people. A very impressive couple of days."

The main goal of the DPHT is to preserve the traditional type of Dartmoor pony, now known as the Dartmoor Heritage pony. In 2007, DPHT embarked on a major campaign to promote the Dartmoor Pony for conservation grazing. "We set out to add value to the ponies," says Charity Manager, Dru Butterfield. "Finding new markets for the ponies has been an important area of our work and I am delighted with the interest we have created in Heritage stock."

The service offered by DPHT in helping buyers to source, handle and train both ponies and site managers has made a big different in the fight to secure the future of the traditional Dartmoor Pony. "The Pony Handling course run by the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust and Positive Horsemanship was excellent and gave the staff involved increased knowledge, awareness and confidence of handling wild Dartmoor ponies. I would recommend it to anyone involved with managing ponies for conservation grazing," said Mike Ingram, Area Warden for the National Trust.

You can imagine how delighted we were when Tony Beard, otherwise known as the Wag From Widecombe, agreed to be a Patron. Tony is a keen preserver of Devon life and culture. Tony has spent many happy years as a farmer. He talks of his love of the moors, countryside traditions and the characters who live and work on the moor in his Radio Devon 'Dartmoor Diary'.

The Dartmoor Pony is the emblem of Dartmoor, but then some would say Tony is!