CAN YOU HELP !! :)

[FallenAngel666]

every year hundreds of these iconic ponies are rounded up from the moors and slaughtered for the meat trade, local zoos etc. we along with other organisations try and save these poor souls and offer them the chance to a life. these are beautiful ponies and make the most wonderful family pets. renowned for their gentle natures they make great childrens ponies or just for a pony to fuss over. these ponies come straight from the moors and so are unhandled and do require patience and time to come around though when they do the rewards are endless.

there are apx 30 babies left out of this months appeal that still need homes please visit the website for more details

http://hopedartmoorhillponyrescue.weebly.com/

 

[jhoward]

and as long as people keep homing them, paying for them, setting up yet another rescue group, the farmer will keep breeding the damn things


*head desk*

 

[rhino]

Nope, I would happily donate money to ensure the stallions were castrated, therefore stopping this constant overbreeding, but if I buy a youngster I am effectively telling them to carry on breeding. Sorry

ETA am I right to think from your website that you are happy to rehome colts? Do you not think it would be more responsible to ensure they are gelded before rehoming?

 

[JFTDWS]

Nope, I would happily donate money to ensure the stallions were castrated, therefore stopping this constant overbreeding, but if I buy a youngster I am effectively telling them to carry on breeding. Sorry

Exactly.

 

[miss_c]

Nope, I would happily donate money to ensure the stallions were castrated, therefore stopping this constant overbreeding, but if I buy a youngster I am effectively telling them to carry on breeding. Sorry

ETA am I right to think from your website that you are happy to rehome colts? Do you not think it would be more responsible to ensure they are gelded before rehoming?

Ditto this.

 

[AMH]

Agree, Dartmoor ponies make lovely children's ponies.

But most of what's rounded up off the moor, as in the New Forest, aren't proper Dartmoors any more, they're a mixture of all sorts and therefore not as predictable as the true bred ponies.

Also agree with others - better castrate the colts to prevent more 'unwanted' foals.

 

[tallyho!]

I'm sorry, but I personally can't go on supporting Dartmoor/Exmoor/NF pony rescues just so the farmers can line their pockets and laugh all the way to the bank. It needs proper management not public donations. I know, it is sad and every year I cough up but I am going to stand firm this year.

 

[Potato!]

Ok so shoot me down but if we stop sending these ponies to slaughter then what are we going to feed the animals in the zoo.

Im sorry but there are far far worse fates than going to slaughter.

I know a lot of farmers who keep Dartmoor ponies and as long as there is a market they will not stop breeding them. If there is no market then the same fate would be for the mares.

Farmers will Not keep barren mares. Yes it’s a shame but it’s a business and they are not pets.

 

[AmyMay]

Like many of our native ponies, the Dartmoor is just wonderful. However, it's not alone in the sad situation that we see of youngstock going through the sale rings for pennies. It was reported in a recent sale that Welsh foals were going for £1.60 each. It shows the depth of the crisis our native breeds find themselves in.

The best thing that any organisation like you can do is to get behind the managed breeding campaign. Dartmoor ponies will be undergoing a trial contraceptive implant in mares to put a halt to breeding for several seasons (or at least to reduce it significantly), and there is a possible plan to extend this to Exmoor ponies too. So this is a real positive step in putting the stops on unwanted pregnancies. In the short term at least, this should help solve many of your issues and concerns.

This, together with the castration of colts and stallions is the way forward. Not resuce.

It's also worth noting, that whilst no less deserving, the ponies you advertise for rescue are not Dartmoor ponies.

Do you castrate the colts you are offering for adoption prior to re-homing them?

 

[dartmoors dennis]

All the ponies from this appeal belong to one farmer, who has worked alongside H.O.P.E. and has now gelded all his stallions, these are Dartmoor Hill Ponies not Dartmoors, none of them will make more than 12.2hh. It is not H.O.P.E's intentions to allow the over breeding but they want to work with the farmers in the area to try and control this problem but either gelding or removing the stallions for a period of time. Please before you write negative comments on encouraging breeding etc take the time to visit H.O.P.E's web page to see what they are doing.
I have rehomed four of these lovelys now, two in February who are just like normal domesticated yearlings now, they will not leave you alone in the field, and I rehomed another two a fourtnight ago, who are now letting me scratch them with my hand now. It takes time and patience to turn these feral unhandled ponies around but it is well worth the effort, I teach riding and have been struggling to find nice 12hh ponies, all seem to have problems so by buying these youngsters I know how they have been treated from the begining and I know I will have some lovely ponies at the end that I will be able to trust as much as you can trust any horse.

 

[FairyLights]

and as long as people keep homing them, paying for them, setting up yet another rescue group, the farmer will keep breeding the damn things


*head desk*

^^^^^
this

 

[rhino]

Please before you write negative comments on encouraging breeding etc take the time to visit H.O.P.E's web page to see what they are doing.

I have, and the fb page, where I was surprised that it was implied that despite a potential first time horse owner not having any references from vets/instructors/yards etc (which are their rehoming criteria) they would be willing to

see if we can find a way around all of this.

Do you really think a feral pony is recommended for a first time owner?

Also, are they a registered charity?

 

[AmyMay]

I think that any negativity is based around the fact that the majority of us recognise that there has to be a 'managed' way forward to curtail the breeding of unwanted animals and poor stock. But of course no one can help but be moved by the plight of any animal finding itself in a very difficult situation.

If what you say is correct, dartmoors dennis, then this is a great step taken on by one breeder.

Use your passion, friends and resources to work with others to reach a similar outcome.

You assertion on the height of the ponies is also at direct odds with the website.....

 

[FairyLights]

Unfortunately it needs to start costing the farmers/breeders money before numbers will be significantly reduced. Same applies to the welsh ponies.

 

[Potato!]

Can i ask why do people not jump up and down about the cattle or sheep on the moors as they have the same fate as many of these ponies But i guess thats allowed because people eat theose.

 

[AmyMay]

Can i ask why do people not jump up and down about the cattle or sheep on the moors as they have the same fate as many of these ponies But i guess thats allowed because people eat theose.

I think, to be fair burness, that cattle and sheep stock are managed very differently from wild ponies - so it's not really a great comparison.

 

[Potato!]

To be fair I know many Dartmoor farmers who keep ponies across the whole of the north side of Dartmoor all of which manage the ponies in the same way the cattle and sheep.

 

[jhoward]

Can i ask why do people not jump up and down about the cattle or sheep on the moors as they have the same fate as many of these ponies But i guess thats allowed because people eat theose.

because we dont ride/drive, pamper thoose

 

[AmyMay]

To be fair I know many Dartmoor farmers who keep ponies across the whole of the north side of Dartmoor all of which manage the ponies in the same way the cattle and sheep.

Do the cattle and sheep winter out then? Are they not TB inspected annually (as required by DEFRA for the cattle). Do they breed indescriminatly??

I would be very suprised if the management was as poor for these animals as it was for the hill ponies - after all their value is relatively strong, especially lamb and particularly good beef. It would make no financial sense for the farm not to care for this stock.

 

[Potato!]

Yes the sheep winter out, they are rounded up for shearing and to go to the ram this is only because rams are not allowed on the moor. If the sheep are not in lamb they have one chance if they still don’t get on lamb then they go to slaughter.

The cattle are not allowed to stay on the moor over the winter like they used to be. This has ruined the hardiness of many native breeds. Yes they have to come in for tb testing but stupidly cattle are still allowed on the moor under tb restrictions because it counts as part of the holding. Only a small number of cattle and sheep are eleigable to be registered as pedigrees because lets face it why do they need to be pedigrees to end up on a plate.

The reason they are of a higher value is because we eat them, we do not eat ponies but pets do as do zoo animals etc.

Im sorry but the farmers i know check on there ponies regularly, they are not turned out and forgotten about. they also take them out hay in the winter.

 

[AmyMay]

Only a small number of cattle and sheep are eleigable to be registered as pedigrees because lets face it why do they need to be pedigrees to end up on a plate.

Interesting point.

Cheap meat - cheap breed. Expensive meat, expensive breed.

 

[Potato!]

Not necessarily the case. It is expensive to register cattle as pedigrees. When you are running a business the cattle you would register are the ones to sell for breeding purposes not meat. My OH is a Dartmoor hill farmer. Out of the 500 or so cattle about 100 of them are pedigree Galloways. The rest are cross breeds as they develop quicker

 

[FallenAngel666]

maybe before everyone jumps on the bandwagon so go over to hopes website and actually read what they do , they ARE a registered not for profit organisation who work with the farmers to reduce the number of unwanted ponies on the moor the farmer they have worked with for the last 2 years has removed his stallions from the moor and they have been gelded and either rehomed or released back out onto the moor ,so they will be NO more foals from this farmer by word of mouth other farmers are agreeing to geld their stallions ,this is a vast problem and not fixable over night but HOPE and leading the way with a practical and real long term solution to the over breeding of DHP , by buying one of these ponies you are NOT encouraging the breeding as the farmer has gelded his stallions

 

[Potato!]

maybe before everyone jumps on the bandwagon so go over to hopes website and actually read what they do , they ARE a registered not for profit organisation who work with the farmers to reduce the number of unwanted ponies on the moor the farmer they have worked with for the last 2 years has removed his stallions from the moor and they have been gelded and either rehomed or released back out onto the moor ,so they will be NO more foals from this farmer by word of mouth other farmers are agreeing to geld their stallions ,this is a vast problem and not fixable over night but HOPE and leading the way with a practical and real long term solution to the over breeding of DHP , by buying one of these ponies you are NOT encouraging the breeding as the farmer has gelded his stallions

I would be suprised if they then keep do that to be honest, How much would a feral gelding who had been used as a breeding stallion be worth excatly. I can't see all these farmers jumping on the bandwagon to geld these stallions when its expensive to do this. Cattle and sheep are castrated by the farmers themselves. they do not have to get the vet out to do this.

It costs more to geld them that they are worth. Im sorry but if it was my OH he would shoot them. I know its harsh but its just the way it is im afraid.

 

[jhoward]

maybe before everyone jumps on the bandwagon so go over to hopes website and actually read what they do , they ARE a registered not for profit organisation who work with the farmers to reduce the number of unwanted ponies on the moor the farmer they have worked with for the last 2 years has removed his stallions from the moor and they have been gelded and either rehomed or released back out onto the moor ,so they will be NO more foals from this farmer by word of mouth other farmers are agreeing to geld their stallions ,this is a vast problem and not fixable over night but HOPE and leading the way with a practical and real long term solution to the over breeding of DHP , by buying one of these ponies you are NOT encouraging the breeding as the farmer has gelded his stallions

this line taken off the website..
These ponies have a price on their heads and we have to meet the price that the farmer would get from his buyer. All our ponies are microchipped and passported at a reduced rate to us and so keeping the cost at a complete minimum to you.

this was my original point, its win win for the farmer! which is the whole point in why as long as people will pay the farmer will breed.

now lets just say theres 300 foals to be sold.. IF not one of those foals made a penny what would the farmer do next time around (and yes of course i know they get chucked in an incinerator or shot)

my other objection is the constant bad breeding of substational ponies.

now my second question to you..

you say that all ponies are straight off the moor.. so you yourselfs do not house the ponies. if people via your website donate as the website asks for, where does the money go?

see this isnt ment to be a personal dig at yourself, but in my original post i said about rescue sites.. again im sorry but people need to stop going poor poor ickle ponies and toughen up and face the music.

 

[BillyBob-Sleigh]

I agree with what you are saying in the fact that the farmers are making a quick buck off them, however the poor ponies didn't ask to be bred and put in the situation - I know you're going to say that this sort of attitude is going to mean they keep getting bred but what about the ponies that are here and now? they are suffering for the farmers/peoples actions.

 

[jhoward]

and as long as this goes go on the more ponies that will go through the cycle, i wouldnt call it suffereing as they are not, they are bred, they live on a huge moor, they get herded off the moor, i dont see that as suffereing.

however in answer to the question what about the current ponies.. well they are in the cycle and so long as do gooders pay money for them the farmer have the biggest reason to breed them, it doesnt even come down to the history/up keep of the moors themselfs.

 

[rhino]

I agree with what you are saying in the fact that the farmers are making a quick buck off them, however the poor ponies didn't ask to be bred and put in the situation - I know you're going to say that this sort of attitude is going to mean they keep getting bred but what about the ponies that are here and now? they are suffering for the farmers/peoples actions.

But will they 'suffer' more by being put down humanely, or by being passed from pillar to post with no control over where they end up. It's a sorry story but these ponies seem to end up being 'rehomed' to people without the experience/time/money to deal with them. Surely it's exactly the same as cattle/sheep going for slaughter; the ponies don't know they are any different.

It is sad to think of beautiful young animals being slaughtered, but really, what is the viable alternative?

 

[BillyBob-Sleigh]

The whole thing is a vicious circle. We have the problems with the Welsh ponies being bought up by the meatman and stuffed into the back of a lorry and it's so awful to see them so terrified - and quite rightly so, seen as they'll end up in a can somewhere, and this is what I mean by the suffering by the way, not with them living blissfully unaware on a moor. I wouldn't like to say what the answer is as I can't stand to see them being carted off by the meatman which is why I don't go to sales and yet those who buy the poor buggars are just fuelling the fire.

 

[jhoward]

ah ok. i have to say i have no problems with ponies slaughtered for food be it, human (although i dont agree with live transporting) or animal, i have no objection to a pony being fed as zoo meat, hell least they then have a purpose, rather than being lobbed in an incinerator!

the answer,... umm i dont think there is one, although personally id like to see a higher quality of pony being breed, like the old days, preserve the true breed not the dwafed mongrels that are being bred..

of course that isnt the answer either, but at least it would be true to dartmoors history.

exmoor only have pure ponies,
newforest is mostley pure
as is welsh.

its just the likes of bodmin/dartmoor that are largely breeding the crap. (and before any one says it i know the ponies can make cracking ponies ive met a fair few.. that is not the point)