A wonder-foal opportunity. Sale of unique ponies announced
On the 5th December 2009 100 wild Carneddau Welsh Mountain foals and yearlings are to be sold in the first annual sale at Tyn Llwyfan, Llanfairfechan.
These animals are the surplus stock from the herds ranging the Carneddau Mountains between Conwy and Bethesda since the Bronze Age.
Generations of the seven families in the Carneddau pony society (CMYCC) have owned herds of these beautiful, hardy creatures of which just three hundred mares remain. Because of new identification regulations the animals must be microchipped when they leave the mountains so the sale has been established high above the village.
The ponies play an essential part in the delicate ecological balance of the mountains through their grazing and browsing which creates the conditions for animals, birds, including skylarks and choughs, and invertebrates. Numbers must be kept steady to preserve this balance so the Countryside Council for Wales and the Snowdonia National Park Authority have a management agreement with the Carneddau Pony Society to regulate the herds and animals not required to maintain the herds will be sold.
The ponies will be gently handled before the sale in a new initiative set up through Pori Natur a Threftadaeth (PONT) in which a trainer is coming from Dartmoor to teach the breeders and local teenagers handling techniques. This means that the foals will be easier to manage, lead and load.
A typical Carneddau pony stands about 11 hands high, on sturdy, well set legs. They have neat ears shaped like a sage leaf and a big personality! They are never handled so are categorised as semi-feral. Once off the hills the ponies can be broken successfully to make good children's riding ponies, they are ideal for local grazing schemes proving themselves to be a vital resource on many sites on Anglesey and beyond due to their grazing characteristics and ability to thrive on poor land. Some are eligible to be registered as part bred Welsh mountain ponies and used to improve bone in breeding programmes.
The unique Carneddau pony has played an important role in shaping and maintaining the landscape and cultural heritage of the area and as a tourist attraction, being appreciated by walkers and visitors to Snowdonia. Gareth Jones, secretary of the CMYCC says;"Please support this sale and help secure the future of the ponies for generations to come."
Find out more:
www.grazinganimalsproject.org.uk/pont_home
Downloads:
Sale Poster (English) 1 (Welsh) 1
Sale Poster (English) 2 (Welsh) 2
Sale Catalogue
Head Office
376 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 1YETelephone:01248 351541 Email: nwwt@wildlifetrustswales.org
Registered charity no.230772