A Reunion with My First-Born Fell
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Karen is removing a grazing muzzle from Gina/Lily, a tool in managing a Sleddale line pony on abundant green grass.
When I realized a trip for a family wedding was going to take me close to where my first-born Fell Pony is now living, the idea of a reunion with her came to mind. I reached out to her owner who enthusiastically endorsed the idea. Karen has been in touch since shortly after she bought Turkey Trot Sand Lily who turned 22 earlier this year. Karen calls her Gina. Lily/Gina was born at Turkey Trot Springs, the ranch where I was living when I got started with Fell Ponies. My first prefix was Turkey Trot, mirroring the practice often followed in Cumbria of using prefixes that reflect the location where the breeder and their ponies live. I now use the prefix Willowtrail for the farm that I call home no matter where it’s located.
Lily/Gina is a daughter of my first Fell Pony, Sleddale Rose Beauty, and my first stallion Midnight Valley Timothy. Lily/Gina stayed with me for ten years and had two foals for me: Willowtrail Columbine whom I last knew was in the Houston area but sadly I have lost track of, and Willowtrail Jonty who is beloved by his family in Utah who stays in touch. Here, I have Lily/Gina’s half-sister Willowtrail Wild Rose, also a Beauty daughter, and Lily/Gina’s niece and Rose’s daughter, Willowtrail Lettie, Beauty’s granddaughter.
The Sleddale ponies were bred for more than one hundred years. The last Sleddale pony registered was in 2004. Gina/Lily’s grandmother Sleddale Rosemary won the Senior class in 1991 at the Royal Show in England. The judge of the class said, “[Sleddale Rosemary] had all the distinctive qualities of the Sleddale Ponies. I could have found fault, but for me it typified the Fell and I preferred it on the day to the other ponies in a strong entry. It may just be my feeling but I find the Sleddale very representative of an old-fashioned type of pony….” (1)
Gina/Lily and me, courtesy Karen.
Characteristics that other people name about Sleddale ponies include good feet and legs, good bone and substance, a broad back, wide through the chest, and sometimes an independent spirit, usually coupled with a willingness to work. Mr. Henry Harrison, the last breeder of the Sleddale ponies described the fell where the ponies lived as “a poor hill, no good feed…,” which I think contributed both to their hardiness/easy keeping qualities and their occasional hardness of spirit. Nonetheless, Mr. Harrison also said, “Besides its hardiness, thrift, strength, and being surefooted, it is the personality of the fell pony that means so much, a kind natured pony, ever eager to please and provide good company.” (2) I kept Lily for a decade because we had a bond, and Rose is my heart pony for good reason.
The day of my reunion with Lily/Gina was a beautiful one, and Karen’s property shouted spring time. When I first saw Gina/Lily, I was immediately struck by how she reflects what I have learned about the Sleddale Fell Ponies over the years. Her shape indicated she was an easy keeper like her mother was; Beauty was two hundred pounds overweight according to the vet who examined her when I bought her. Both Gina/Lily’s sister and niece display similarly rounded figures compared to my ponies from other lines. Gina/Lily also gave no indication that she was going to be distracted from the green grass before her just because a visitor had shown up. I recognized that attitude, too! Nonetheless, Karen and Gina completed the Fell Pony Society 96-mile challenge in 2023, just as Rose and I did. My experience with the Sleddale line is that they thrive on having a job, which also keeps them from becoming too rotund!
Don't let me interrupt your grazing!
A few days after I returned from visiting Lily/Gina, a friend came to visit. They greeted all the ponies, and then said, “Rose is the only one who doesn’t want to say hello to me.” I told them that’s in that line, remembering how I had felt when Lily/Gina treated me similarly! I do think Lily/Gina recognized me despite her perceived indifference, and I know Rose was aware of my friend’s presence.
The late Mrs. Ailie Newall, breeder of the Dene Fell Ponies, once said, “I reckon really that the Sleddale ponies are the only true ponies that have always, constantly, been a true pony.” (3) My many years working with ponies, Fells and non-Fells alike, have shown me that part of loving a pony is learning to earn a relationship with them. Gina is lucky that Karen has developed a relationship that she assures me means Gina is in her forever home. For that I am profoundly grateful.
Tabelin, Alan. “Royal Show 1991 – Judge’s Notes,” Fell Pony Society Newsletter, Autumn 1991, p. 19.
Harrison, Henry. Fell Pony Society Calendar, 2005, January page. Mr. Harrison was the President of FPS at the time of the calendar’s publishing.
Millard, Sue. Hoofprints in Eden, Hayloft Publishing, Kirkby-Stephen, Cumbria, England, 2003, p. 52.
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2024
