Could A New Business Help Rescue These Wild Welsh Ponies?


As a curious rider, it felt a little awkward to pull on walking shoes instead of getting into boots while preparing for a day with the horses. But this was no ordinary walk.

My new friend Jacko grunts and tilts his head to watch as I carefully pack my camera equipment into the bags strapped to his back. Quickly losing its relevance, he reverted to a net of fenced hay surrounding a wide view of the perfect Welsh landscape: endless fields of lush green grass surrounded by thick bushes and dense woodland and stretching from valley to valley. distant hills.

During the pandemic, I found solace in the picturesque countryside of my homeland in Wales, where herds of wild Welsh mountain ponies have roamed freely among the hills for centuries.

Despite being wild, ponies are called semi-wild because herds require some degree of management. The basic infrastructure of roads, fences and urban areas can restrict the natural movement of ponies, leading to overpopulation and health problems. Therefore, farmers help manage herds by collecting to prevent inbreeding, checking their general health, and removing some ponies (especially young males or foals).

Animals have long been a source of pride and love for Welsh farmers who manage herds. Robust, reliable ponies were traditionally used in a wide variety of farm work. They also played a vital role as pit ponies used underground in coal mines that were once ubiquitous and have since disappeared from the Welsh landscape.

These traditional roles are no longer required, their presence in rural Welsh is declining and the management of wild herds is under threat.

Hoping to reverse this trend, Graham Williams founded Hooftrek, a tourism venture that aims to give ponies a renewed purpose and restored commercial value to ensure their survival. The company uses a herd of trained semi-wild ponies to accompany hikers and carry bags through the hills and mountains of Wales, while also continuing the tradition of breeding wild mares to help protect wild herds.

On an unusually sunny autumn day in September 2020, I joined three friends from London, Louise or Lou, a pony trainer and trekking guide, and Regina, a Hooftrek helper, for a walk in the Radnor Hills of Central Wales. next to four half-wild ponies.

The ponies were roaming freely around the property when we arrived at the Hooftrek farm. After each hiker chose his preferred companion for the day, Lou instructed us on how to groom the animals and prepare them and us for the trek.

Once we started hiking, it became clear that the willful animals would set their own leisurely pace, stopping frequently for an irresistible mouthful of grass, and need decisive encouragement to sometimes overcome natural obstacles encountered along the way. Like the horses I grew up riding, ponies have displayed diverse – and oversized – personalities with a mix of stubbornness and enthusiasm.

In addition to carrying our bags, ponies brought fun, companionship and a sense of accomplishment. We all had to learn how to communicate with our ponies, and most of us have clearly developed a bond throughout the day.

The idea of ​​Hooftrek was inspired by the success of French startups that tackled a similar problem with local donkeys, a working animal that was once at the center of farm and agricultural work. “If we go back to 1970, 1980, they made donkeys a part of the entertainment industry,” said Mr Williams, founder of Hooftrek. “There are now dozens of farms in the hills of France where you can hire donkeys to carry packages on the trails.”

He hopes the idea will help raise the profile of Welsh herds and encourage others to buy semi-wild ponies, particularly foals that are taken away every year to avoid inbreeding. “There used to be thousands in Wales, but now we’ve landed on less than 500 breeding mares on different hills in Wales,” said Mr Williams. “They used to be useful – they worked as livestock, they were in pits and because of this the breed has become very desirable around the world.”

As a result of the ponies’ versatility and popularity, wild herds were maintained for many years and their offspring were sold, providing an income to the farmers who manage them. Today, native Welsh ponies born from captivity-bred animals are as prolific as world-loved pets and riding ponies, while their wild counterparts in Wales face an uncertain future.

Training ponies is a time-consuming task, especially for those who come from the hills, Lou said. “It takes time to build their trust and confidence in people – taller than domestic bred colts, so it’s not as popular to breed on the hill anymore.”

Lou explained that like all wild animals, hill-born ponies have an innate instinct. “Over the centuries, they have developed the terrain skills and knowledge that enable them to survive in different environments and seasons that domestic horses do not have,” he says.

“These are our Indigenous creatures and it is a great honor to work with them,” he added. “They’re as old as the hills.”

Claire Thomas British photographer and photojournalist focusing on conflict, humanitarian and environmental crises, and social issues. You can follow their work Instagram and excitement.





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