‘Handsome boys’ join Cumbrian fell pony herd in grazing project

Two fell ponies have joined a herd to trample dominant vegetation to try and help delicate flowers thrive.

Annabel Rushton, site manager of RSPB Wild Haweswater, said the native Cumbrian fell breed were “ideally suited” to the rugged terrain and weather in Swindale Valley, where they would graze and crush rushes and coarse grasses.

Wild Haweswater said the grazing project would aid delicate wildflowers like Devil’s Bit Scabious and the ponies were good at spreading wildflower seed in their dung.

Rushton said the two “handsome boys” William and Jasper, would join four mares to live outside, drink from streams and springs and shelter behind dry stone walls and under trees.

Rushton said native breed cattle and Cumbrian Fell Ponies were used in the project because these “large, heavy-footed animals” emulated “the wild herbivores that would have roamed the UK for thousands of years before the bronze age”.

“Their grazing and trampling helps to tackle denser, more dominant vegetation such as bracken which allows more diverse, delicate plants to grow through, as well as young trees getting the chance to take off,” she said.