Examples of Fell Pony Tourism

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FPS Stallion Show 2005

FPS Stallion Show 2005

Equine tourism is more than just trail-riding.  “Equine tourism is travel inspired by the horse, for recreation, leisure and business, encompassing all activity that has the horse as its focus.” (1)  Here is a list of the many types of activities that are considered equine tourism:

  • Guided rides

  • Farm stays

  • Auto tours

  • Riding clinics and camps

  • Competitions, races, demonstrations

  • Conferences and meetings

  • Museums and exhibits

  • Carriage rides

  • Wellness/therapeutic

There are numerous tourism activities in Cumbria related to Fell Ponies.  If you know of a tourism activity related to Fell Ponies that is not shown here, please contact me (click here).

  • Our breed society’s shows and its promotion team’s demonstrations attract people from out-of-town so can fall under the tourism umbrella.  Click here for more information.

  • The Fell Pony Museum at Dalemain, when it attracts people from out-of-town, is one obvious example of Fell Pony tourism (click here to learn more about the museum). 

  • Another example is a brochure created in 2005 that facilitates auto tours to see Fell Ponies grazing on the fells (click here if you haven’t seen it and would like to). 

  • Bradley’s Riding Centre in Cleator, Cumbria offers guided rides on Fell Ponies (and other breeds), and it is also a bed-and-breakfast so could be considered a farm stay as well (click here). 

  • Murthwaite Green Trekking Centre offers rides on Fell Ponies and other equines on the beach near Silecroft.  Click here for more information.

  • The Fell Pony Experience Centre offers rides traversing the side of Lake Windermere.  Click here for more information.

  • Fell Pony Adventures is a new wild camping company using Fell Ponies.  Click here for more information.

  • Haweswater Cottage is a self-catering accommodation on a fell farm where Fell Ponies are raised.  Click here for more information. 

  • The Heritage on the Fells exhibit in Shap in 2018 is another example of a Fell Pony-inspired tourism activity.  A similar event is being planned by the Fell Pony Heritage Centre for 2019; click here for more information.

  • In 2019, a Fell Pony-themed guided tour of England is being offered to North American breed enthusiasts.  Click here for more information.

  • Fell Ponies are being used in riding for the disabled and equine-facilitated coaching and therapy programs; to the extent that these bring people in from out-of-town, they could be considered tourism-related, too. 

The Fell Pony has inspired these tourism activities already.  With all the creativity and dedication we have in the Fell Pony community, more tourism activities related to our breed are bound to be born soon!

  1. “Equine Agritourism,” Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University, as accessed 3/31/19 at https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/agritourism/equine-agritourism