Lettie and Her Grandfather

One of the things that surprises me with my ponies, though it probably shouldn’t since I’ve been doing this long enough, is that I’m seeing traits of grandparents in grandchildren. On a beautiful February day, it was long-yearling Willowtrail Lettie reminding her of her grandfather Guards Apollo.

I woke up as the sun hit the house feeling the spring that is coming. Such a nice day had dawned that I was inspired to dig out my blue tarp and take it to the barn. The inspiration was to do something I’ve never done before: introduce the tarp to a herd rather than a single pony. When I stopped at the barn between sunrise and breakfast, I put some orange cones in the paddock. Eventually they would hold the corners of the tarp down, but they ended up being entertainment on their own. As the picture of Lettie shows, she immediately began pawing one and sniffing it and moving it around.

Willotrail Lettie showing tremendous curiosity in a cone.

When I returned to the barn later, I carried the blue tarp into the paddock. I was met at the gate by curious ponies wondering what I was carrying. Some recognized it, and some expressed concern for the crinkly noise it made. I unfolded it in the company of five ponies, being cautious in case one might spook. That didn’t happen, and I tucked each corner under a cone to secure it in the slight breeze. Nice idea, but almost immediately Lettie and her older sister Aimee were pawing at it. I stood back and watched.

I had thought I might halter a pony and lead them across the tarp, but what happened next was too entertaining to interrupt. Lettie and Aimee continued to paw and sniff, and they attracted some of the rest of the herd as an audience. I was able to coax the lead mare to put one foot on the tarp as it was being moved about by the youngsters’ activities. Then my most seasoned mare took my invitation and walked across it at liberty. The two others who were watching were a little worried, so I just let the entertainment continue.

After a few more minutes, I took the tarp corners out from under the cones so that the tarp was free. What happened next had me laughing heartily. Lettie pawed and pawed at the tarp, eventually making it into a ball under her. I laughed because I had seen her grandfather do the exact same thing thirteen years before, as shown in the picture of Apollo and the blue tarp that illustrates at least one of my book chapters.

Guards Apollo playing with a blue tarp in 2010

But then Lettie outdid her grandfather. She grabbed a corner of the tarp in her teeth and raised her head. Normally that startles a pony because the tarp billows and makes noise so they let go. She did pause, but then she stood there chewing on the tarp corner with the tarp swaying gently in the breeze as she surveyed the hill with alert attention. I thought it was hilarious because she was so comfortable with the whole picture. Of course, it was a morning when I’d left my camera at home, so I could only stand and chuckle. My apparent enjoyment attracted the mature ponies to my side, thinking perhaps they could out-entertain Lettie, but not a chance! I just enjoyed the granddaughter and the memories of her grandfather that she brought to mind. What a blessing life with ponies is!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

The photo of Apollo and the blue tarp also appears in my book What An Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover. The cover of the book features Lettie’s grandmother!

At Dusk on the Hill

It was just after sunset and snowing. I had just gotten back from running an errand in town. I thought there was enough light to go out and see the ponies on the hill, but when I came in on the lane, I didn’t see them anywhere. Nonetheless, I took off with my dog Ace in the failing light to a place I couldn’t see from the lane, but they weren’t there. I climbed up onto a small ridge to look down in a gully to see if they were there because I also couldn’t see that from the lane, but they weren’t there either. So I called out a good night, wishing them well and saying I would see them in the morning. As I turned to head home, I saw something that made me look back. There, halfway up the hill was a pony that had lifted its head to acknowledge my greeting. When she saw me look at her, she went back to grazing.

I did a quick calculation as to whether I had enough light left to get safely up there and back down again before dark. As I started climbing, the ponies went out of sight as I dropped down into a small ravine, then climbed up over a small hill, and then went down into another ravine again. Finally I started the bigger climb to where I had seen them. When I finally got high enough, I saw one pony standing on a prominence, watching my approach. I had only seen two ponies from below, so when I got to her, I wasn’t surprised when I saw the second pony, but then I was curious where the rest were. As I went to greet the second pony, I saw a third, and then a fourth came up out of a ravine. When I walked to the edge, there were the other three. I greeted six, but the Sentinel was up too high, and I couldn’t take the time to climb to her.

As I picked my way back down the hill, I was glad I had made the climb. As usual, I enjoyed seeing my ponies enjoying the hill. And it’s always touching when my ponies greet me upon my arrival. This time I was also touched by the fact that they let me know where they were and encouraged me to come see them. One lifetime is definitely not going to be enough to share with them.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

The Sentinel's Strange Behavior

The Sentinel: Bowthorne Matty

The morning light showed a single pony on the hill pasture. That’s odd, I thought. Normally the herd is all together. As I got closer, my suspicion about which pony was standing alone was confirmed. I call Bowthorne Matty, my senior mare, the Sentinel. She is often found standing off from the herd with a distant look in her eyes. This time was strange, though, because normally the rest of the herd is only a few dozen yards away. But they were nowhere to be seen.

When I got to the barn, I found the other members of the herd there. Matty, though, showed no inclination to join us. What could be keeping her out there? Normally she’s at the gate in the morning to greet me. Is she hurt? Sick? Worried about something?

Notice the small circle on the tip of her nose: a cactus bud.

I shut the rest of the herd into the barn paddock and headed out with a halter and lead rope to where Matty was standing. Even when she saw me approaching, she didn’t move in my direction, also very unusual. All the same questions kept circling through my mind. She didn’t appear out of the ordinary, other than by her behavior. Finally, when I got about thirty yards away, she started toward me. That relieved one worry: her movement was completely normal. And she seemed to be acting normally. Still, though, why was she staying out here all alone?

It was only when she got about ten feet away that a possible explanation revealed itself. On the end of her nose above her lips was a cactus bud. I had only ever seen one pony before be adorned in this way. Matty’s daughter Willowtrail Mountain Honey has presented herself numerous times with a nose ornament like this. I removed it as quickly as I could then haltered Matty, and she willingly headed with me toward the barn. When we got to the ravine, she indicated that she’d prefer to run in, so I unclipped the lead rope. I met her at the barn a few minutes later and let her in the gate to rejoin the herd.

I still can’t quite accept that the cactus bud was the reason for Matty’s solitary behavior, though it could have been. I think it equally possible that some tree work being done under the power lines a quarter mile to the east also had her concerned. The tree work is done, so I will see tomorrow what the Sentinel’s behavior is in the morning sun. I am hopeful for normalcy.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

There are more stories like this one in my book What An Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Integrating My New Gelding 2

The first phase of integrating my new gelding Asi into the herd was introducing him to three mares in his paddock (to read that story, click here). The next phase was to put him out on the hill with them. The hill pasture is three-quarters of a mile on one side and runs up to a ridge. Walking to see the ponies there is always good exercise, so putting Asi out there would give me answers to several important questions about herd management. Would he stay with the girls? Would he wander to the extent of the pasture without them? Would he come to me to be haltered when I appeared? So when I let Asi loose that first time, I did so knowing that the range of things I might be required to do before the short days of winter brought darkness early was vast!

Rose between Asi and the young girls

As it turned out, Asi didn’t venture more than a few hundred yards from the barn that first afternoon and he willingly came to me to be haltered and put back in his paddock for the night. The next day when I repeated the experiment, he did follow the mares, and they ventured a little farther, but when Asi got too close, one of the mares chased him back toward the barn. Again, he willingly came to me to be haltered and put away for the night. He left me reassured that he would stay with the herd and be haltered when asked.

Phase three of introducing Asi to the herd began several days later. This phase involved putting him out with the entire herd, adding a mare and his two daughters, aged one and two years old. More questions were in my mind with this phase. Asi hadn’t shown any sign of stallion behavior toward any of the mares. Nonetheless, I stayed aware that younger playful females might stir whatever hormones might remain active, so I planned the introduction to be when I could watch for an hour in case I needed to intervene. I also knew that changing the herd population could change the dynamics, so additionally I cleared my schedule at the end of that day to bring Asi back into his paddock so everyone could relax.

Rose keeping Asi away from the rest of the herd

I widely spread hay outside the barn paddocks and put all the females out first. When I brought Asi to the gate, the mare that had most bonded with him, Rose, approached. I waved her away to give me space to let Asi go, then I was absolutely fascinated to watch what unfolded next. Instead of returning to buddying up to Asi, Rose ignored the hay and assigned herself the role of protector of the young girls. Aimee and Lettie were very curious about the new pony, but Rose inserted herself between them and Asi whenever they tried to approach him. Asi was interested in hay, but the girls were not, so Rose was on constant vigilance, running, spinning, kicking, snaking her neck and using all her persuasive techniques to keep Asi and the little girls apart. The photograph shows Asi in the background eating hay, with Rose between him and the young girls. Over the next several days, this pattern of behavior continued no matter where the herd was: in the paddocks, on the hill, or on the flat. Rose definitely got her exercise! And then the dynamics evolved in unexpected ways. More next time!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

Observations about Twinning in Fell Ponies

Thanks to social media, the Fell Pony community in 2022 celebrated the birth and healthy rearing of a set of pony twins in England. Their breeder shared updates and photos so that we could follow their progress. The breeder said repeatedly that it was all about having an amazing mare able to carry them to term, birth them, and then nurse them. The breeder too deserves credit for supporting the mare with her double work load.

I have had the good luck to see a set of healthy Fell Pony twins. There’s nothing quite like it. On the other hand, I have also watched the heartbreak of a breeder who had a set of twins, one of which was much weaker than the other. The breeder tried desperately to save the weak one, but sadly it eventually passed. Fortunately for the mare, she still had a foal to mother. There have also probably been innumerable twins that were never viable and were aborted and we never knew about. So when a set of twins like this year’s is viable and makes it to weaning, they inspire us. Some this year have said that breeding for twins seems like a good idea. I would like to share some additional observations about twinning in Fell Ponies, based on personal observation.

One observation is that equines in general are really not well suited to raising two foals. That’s evident when so many are weak or unviable. One could argue that when a mare is successful, then there is great hope. That might be with that particular mare and her genetic and physiologic make up and perhaps even only when mated to that particular sire. A daughter, though, will only have some of her mother’s genes and physiology so there’s no guarantee that she will be as successful. That’s where it’s important to understand the range of possible outcomes of breeding for twins.

The healthy set of twins we saw in 2022 is one example of a possible outcome. So is the outcome of one healthy and one non-viable foal. As mentioned, at least in that case the mare has one foal to nurture. When both foals are lost, that is very tough on a mare, but there’s an even worse case scenario. The mare of the healthy twins that I met also had a daughter. That daughter had a healthy single foal for her first mothering experience. The second time though was twinning gone awry. If you are squeamish, you may wish to skip the rest of this paragraph. The mare foaled a healthy foal that stood and nursed and moved about. Except that the foal had two hooves on one of its front legs. And there was a bag of bones that was also birthed out. Apparently the two sets of genetic material were not properly divided. The foal had to be put down, and it was hard on the mare to not have a foal to rear after all the effort of gestation and delivery and knowing that it had nursed. The mare did have another healthy foal from her next pregnancy, but then she foaled another deformed foal the next time. Again the foal was put down and the mare had no youngster to reward her hard work. The mare was retired from breeding. So despite her mother having successfully raised twins, the daughter apparently had the twinning gene but could not be successful raising twins.

Breeding is a complicated craft. We care for animals, we study pedigrees, we try to match stallion and mare, we wait for nearly a year, and we hope for a foal we can enjoy. Twins can bring double the joy, but there is also the chance of tremendous heartbreak. So when twinning is present in a pony’s pedigree somewhere, we have difficult decisions to make on our own behalf but also for the mare and the foal. Each of us must make our own decisions, using all the information at our disposal and considering all the possible outcomes. And we can celebrate as a community when healthy twins are born.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

There is an article on research about twins in Fell Ponies in my book Fell Ponies: Observations on the Breed, the Breed Standard, and Breeding, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Integrating My New Gelding into the Herd

Fascinated as I am with herd dynamics, I knew I would want to watch when I put my new Fell Pony gelding in with my herd of mares. My new gelding is known to them already because he is my former stallion Kinniside Asi. I castrated him because he wasn’t happy in his life as a stallion; he’s a completely different and happier pony now. I have heard people complain that castrated stallions are not good companions for mares in their new life as a gelding, so I wanted to see if Asi would be that type or different.

Kinniside Asi, my new gelding, looking at the camera, and three mares learning to get along at feeding time.

Because Asi is heavier built than my mares, I knew I had to use great care when putting him with them, especially since he knew them previously as mating objects not companions. While I considered integrating the mares with him one at a time, I decided on a different strategy. I put three mature mares who are tightly bonded to each other with him all together for part of a day to see what would happen. It ended up being a better strategy than I had imagined!

I was taught early in my pony life that it is always best to introduce new herd mates over food, and it is an approach that I have always found useful. Accordingly, I began the experiment when the ponies were all eager for hay. I tied Asi to the fence in his large paddock and spread hay there. I then brought the three mares into the paddock, tying each of them to the fence until we were all present. Then I untied the mares in reverse dominance order (I don’t want a dominant mare pushing around a lesser one while it’s tied up). Finally, I untied Asi. As expected, they all went to eating.

It didn’t take long, though, before curiosity overtook hunger pangs, and the dynamics that followed were as fascinating as I anticipated. The best part was they were also full of surprises. I was pleased that Asi was respectful. I was also pleased that the mares worked together to put him in his place as I had hoped. I was surprised, though, which mare was the most effective in moving Asi around: the youngest and smallest who was also well-pregnant. It was truly impressive to watch her pin her ears, walk with authority in his direction with her neck outstretched and have him back up as fast as he was able. I had watched my first Fell Pony mare, Sleddale Rose Beauty, do similar things around stallions, and I had used her capabilities to my advantage whenever I had a new young stallion that needed putting in his place. I smiled and said to myself, “I’ve found my new Beauty!”

Another mare’s strategy was not as authoritative and seemed less effective to me. She would touch noses with him then turn around and kick out at him, usually missing. I’ve learned over the years that they know when they will miss and they know when they will make contact and they choose accordingly. I didn’t feel Asi took this sort of encounter nearly as seriously as the other where he was backing up in complete deference to the mare. Instead he was just keeping out of range.

I had to cut that first introduction of gelding and mares short after forty-five minutes. A biting fly had come out that makes some of my mares lose their minds, so I returned them to their own paddock where they could find peace and refuge. After frost, though, I repeated the integration several more times for several hours at a time until it was clear that that herd of four had reached a peaceful state. One mare chose to hang with the stallion, and the other two mares hung together. At feeding time Asi was low pony in the herd. Time for the next step: putting them together on the hill!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

You can find more stories like this one in my book What an Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.

Well, That was Different!

Taking my Fell Pony foals with their dams to the river has become a fall ritual since I moved to South Dakota. In Colorado, there was a river in their summer pasture, so the foals got used to crossing water by following the herd to graze. Here, we don’t have live water in their pasture, so it’s a 30-minute trailer ride to the Cheyenne River. I time it in the fall so the water is low for a safe crossing and the road is dry, since we have a mile or so of dirt access. Catching the fall foliage is a bonus! It has become such a fun ritual that my friend Jackie likes to accompany us regularly, which is a blessing because she takes great photographs!

Rory followed us for a bit but then headed off the other direction. Photos by Jackie Gericke

So far, the trips to the river have followed a consistent pattern. I’ve already accustomed the foals to riding in the trailer with their mothers, so they have loaded into the trailer without much issue. Then they unload at the river and follow them to the river’s edge, then after some contemplation, they follow them into the water. We go back and forth across the river several times until they seem relaxed about it, then we reverse the process, walking to the trailer, loading, and returning home. Foal #5, though, was a different experience!

Willowtrail Rory loaded up with his mother Bowthorne Matty without any indication of the strangeness ahead of us. He unloaded fine, too, and followed her for a short bit towards the place where we cross the river. But then he turned around as if he’d passed some choice morsel he just had to go back to eat. I walked Matty toward him to encourage him to join us, but he calmly just walked further away. So we went back to the river and stood in the center. Usually a foal will get worried and come to the river’s edge to be close to their mom, but not Rory. He walked even further away, seeming to explore the new environment that he found himself in. He would occasionally get concerned and call out to us, but he was uninterested in joining us or even coming close.

Matty and I in the river waiting for Rory to join us. Photo by Jackie Gericke

After fifteen or more minutes, it became clear that having Rory cross the river that day was not meant to be. So the next step in the outing was to get back in the trailer and go home. Rory, though, had other thoughts about this, too. We spent another twenty or more minutes with me leading Matty toward him to get him to follow her back to the trailer. Then Jackie took Matty and stood near the trailer, and I tried herding Rory toward the trailer (his leading skills weren’t good enough for this situation yet). He still was uninterested in following his mother into the trailer. Then Jackie had the great idea of moving the trailer near a pile of brush that could act as a corral panel. I felt like we were in the Old West as I placed more brush strategically to create a chute of sorts. On the second try, Rory decided that getting in the trailer with his mom was an acceptable alternative to wandering around with me following him. We closed the trailer door with a heavy sigh.

I was so thankful for Jackie’s peacefulness with this time-consuming and unusual outing. It was clear Matty was quite content in Jackie’s company while we waited for Rory to be cooperative. Right before we got in the truck to come home, Jackie said, “It’s in trying times that one’s true horsemanship is revealed and you find out if you want to work with that person or not.” Very true, I thought. She then continued, “And I want to work with you, Jenifer.” It was such a blessing to hear that then.

On the drive back, I pondered what had happened with Rory at the river. I concluded that some genetics were at work. His paternal half-sister took a long time to cross the river with her mother last year. And his maternal half-brother had a similar but more stressful experience back in Colorado. In that case, Matty went across the river and her son didn’t follow. He was stressed out, and she was enjoying green grass. I watched for ten minutes, and neither of them appeared able to modify their behavior, so I reunited them and put them in a pasture without the river. The next day Matty and her son crossed the river together.

Rory back at the barn. Photo by Jackie Gericke

I doubt we’ll have an opportunity for a do-over at the river for Rory this fall. The weather is about to change dramatically which will likely end our river outings until next year. Rory will soon be well halter-broke so he can be introduced to water crossings at the side of a human partner rather than his mother. He’s a sensible young man, so I’m sure it will go fine. And next time Matty has a foal, I will allow for multiple trips to the river if necessary!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Polo and Fells and Fall River County

My Fell Ponies here are grazing on native buffalo grass which creates a durable turf that was important to early polo enthusiasts in our county.

The Fell Pony Society is celebrating its centenary in 2022. I have always been intrigued by the roots of the Society being in polo ponies. For instance, on the ‘About’ page of the Fell Pony Society website, it says, “Pony breeders had begun to record pedigrees in the second half of the 19th century, and the first Fell ponies were registered in the Polo and Riding Pony Stud Book in 1898.” (1) Closer to home for me, in 2022, I learned that the county where I live had a polo pony breeding farm at one time almost 100 years ago and there’s a connection to that effort on the ranch where my Fell Ponies and I now live.

This polo pony participated in the 1909 match which put the US on the international polo map when the team beat the UK for the Westchester/International Cup. From the 1925 edition of Types & Market Classes of Livestock.

The Polo Pony Stud Book was founded in England in 1893. Its aim was to support the breeding of ponies for the playing of polo and be a place for the registration of native pony stock, including the Fell. Native ponies were of interest to the Polo Pony Stud Book because of their hardiness and because individuals typically possessed “a clean-cut head, small ears, bright full eye, and well-curved nostril...” (2) You can see pictures of three prize-winning Fell Pony mares from the Polo Pony Stud Book era of Fell history on the Fell Pony Museum website (click here).

Polo horses and riders on the 7-11 Ranch 9 miles NE of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Courtesy Pioneer Museum, Hot Springs, SD

It was in 1925 that prominent businessman F.O. Butler announced he was bringing polo to his adopted home of Fall River County and Hot Springs, South Dakota. He had purchased the 7-11 Ranch north of town and was dedicating the ranch to polo pony breeding. He had previously established a polo club in Illinois where his permanent residence was. His family became interested in polo after 1909 when the US beat the British team to win the coveted International/Westchester Cup. The first known game of polo in Fall River County occurred in 1925 and was referred to as ‘hockey on hoof’ in the newspaper!

Polo being played on the 7-11 Ranch. Courtesy Pioneer Museum, Hot Springs, SD

In his book about F.O. Butler called Paper Mountain, author Robert Karolevitz writes, “South Dakota was, as one sportswriter put it, an ideal place for polo. There was plenty of flat ground not too valuable for other uses. The prairie turf was buffalo-tough and required little maintenance. What’s more: most people knew one end of a horse from the other.” (3)

Butler brought in breeding stock from Wyoming, Montana, California, New Mexico, Mexico, and Cuba. By 1928, there were 94 mares and three stallions at the 7-11. When F.O.’s son said he wanted hardiness and coolheadedness in his polo ponies, F.O. replied, “All right. The colts will get hardiness feeding over the hills and wearing their feet tough on the sand rock. That way they will develop bone and muscle as all of the western ponies have. The coolheadedness we will get by selecting our brood stock.” (4) In those words, there are certainly echoes of how Fell Pony characteristics develop.

Karolevitz also wrote, “[Butler] brought in a ten-ton roller to smooth out the new polo field at the ranch in time for the Hot Springs team to ride circles around the Fourth Cavalry foursome from Fort Meade, 13 to 2. [Butler’s wife] Fannie served tea after the game, a social touch not particularly commonplace in cowboy country.” (5)

In 1916, a park on College Hill in Hot Springs had a half-mile horse race track and by the next year the park had grandstands, bleachers, stables, and a full-time grounds keeper for numerous types of community events. F.O. Butler bought the park in the late 1920s or early 1930s and later donated to the town of Hot Springs. The park carries his name today. (6)

Butler Park in Hot Springs, SD now supports modern sports, but at one time there were stables where the library is in the background.

Depression and drought in the early 1930s ended Fall River County’s enthusiasm for polo, but the 7-11 continued to provide ponies to other parts of the country until a turning point of ranch operations in 1937. Polo was still being played in the Black Hills of South Dakota as recently as 2015. (7)

John, Olaf and Alvin Aaberg were three of the earliest Hot Springs polo enthusiasts. John became manager of the 7-11 Ranch after Butler purchased it and went on trips to buy breeding stock with Butler. These Aaberg men were great-great-uncles to several residents of the ranch where I live today. Occasionally the Aaberg descendants here give assistance to my Fell Pony herd.

Polo mallets, helmet and balls from the era of polo in Fall River County, South Dakota. Items in the collections of the Pioneer Museum, Hot Springs, South Dakota

Fell Ponies are descended at least in part from the extinct Galloway Pony. The Galloway also contributed to the Thoroughbred. The Fell Pony Museum website says, “Although the ancestors of our modern Fell ponies did include Galloways, the well-bred racing "Galloways" were derived from the native "Scotch" pony by several generations of maternal descent; making our Fells distant cousins-many-times-removed of today's racing Thoroughbreds.” (8) So perhaps today’s Fell Ponies living in Fall River County can trace very, very distantly in two different ways to an ancestor of the polo ponies that once were also born and raised here, either through the Galloway or through the Poly Pony Stud Book. It’s fun to ponder!

I am indebted to Dawn Johnson at the Pioneer Museum in Hot Springs for locating and showing me the Museum’s polo-related collections and describing her family’s connection to polo history in Fall River County. And I am once again indebted to Sue Millard, curator of the Fell Pony Museum website, for the treasure trove she has collected there. Finally, I am grateful to my friend Tracy Plessinger for pointing out the connection between the beautiful 7-11 Ranch and polo ponies.

1. http://www.fellponysociety.org.uk/about_breed.htm

2. https://www.fellponymuseum.org.uk/fells/19clate/fpsoc.htm

3. Karolevitz, Robert F. Paper Mountain: The Story of Frank Osgood Butler. Brookings, SD: South Dakota State University Foundation Press, 1980, p. 46.

4. Karolevitz, p. 47.

5. Karolevitz, p. 48.

6. https://frcheraldstar.com/news/1897-naming-writes-hot-springs-butler-park-named-for-chicago-born-businessman

7. https://newtonforkranchblog.wordpress.com/, 10/13/15

8. https://www.fellponymuseum.org.uk/fells/17_18C/galloways2.htm

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

The Puzzle Pieces of Packhorse History

Utterby Packhorse Bridge, Lincolnshire, England

When I was a kid, my mother enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. She made them family activities by setting up a table in the middle of the living room around which we all could gather and help turn the chaos of pieces into the beautiful image on the front of the box. I learned early that shape and color and location meant something, that one puzzle piece on its own might be interesting but it was far more interesting in the context of the whole. I feel the same way about packhorse bridges in England. They are iconic items of beauty, but they are also puzzle pieces in the bigger picture of packhorse history there, a history that isn’t always visible. Since the Fell Pony played a role in that history, making the history more visible is always of interest to me! (Click here if you’d like to explore more about packhorse history in the home region of the Fell Pony.)

We saw a sign for Salter’s Lane but then couldn’t find it again when we had time for a photograph!

On a recent visit to Lincolnshire, England, I was pleased to find that a few packhorse bridges there have interpretive signs connecting them to the other puzzle pieces of packhorse history in the region. Packhorse routes developed long ago in Lincolnshire to take wool to market towns and to the port at Boston. They were also used to take salt inland. Trade in salt is dated to Roman times, and wool production peaked in the area in the 1300s when religious houses depended on it for income.

Remains of a stone causeway leading away from the church towards Utterby Bridge.

As we entered the Lincolnshire Wolds on our recent visit, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it wasn’t the landscape that had me nearly jumping out of the car seat. It was a road sign saying we were turning onto Salter’s Lane! My pre-trip research had indicated that such a road existed in the vicinity of one of the packhorse bridges, so I knew we were close to one. We didn’t stop for a picture though, because we were losing daylight and needed to get to our hotel. Alas, on two separate excursions over the next few days, we were unsuccessful finding the sign again. For now, a crude hand drawing is my only memento of this puzzle piece!

An historic stone causeway lies under the planted trees between the graveyard of the Church of St Andrew and the hedge along the road.

The bridge that was nearby to the sign was in the village of Utterby. Utterby Packhorse Bridge is situated next to a church, which is another important puzzle piece. The bridge’s interpretive sign says, “Just over a mile to the west of Utterby lies the site of a Gilbertine priory and lost village of North Ormsby which was established in 1184 and housed up to 50 canons and lay brothers and 100 nuns and lay sisters.” We went to where North Ormsby and the priory once stood, and indeed they are lost; there was no indication there at all of the former community or religious house’s existence.

The bridge’s interpretive sign continues, “The priory is known to have had a profitable share in the wool industry and was endowed with the Church of St. Andrew’s at Utterby. As the earliest surviving parts of St. Andrew’s also date from the early fourteenth century, it is likely that the building of the bridge was funded by the priory to improve access to the church by providing a crossing over Utterby Beck, also improving the packhorse route.”

The name ‘Porterfield’ indicates this was once an overnight spot for packhorse trains. This spot is about a quarter mile from Utterby Packhorse Bridge.

The construction of the bridge with its three stone arches also suggests it dates from the 1300s. We confirmed that tombstones in the graveyard date to at least the late 1600s; some were so badly eroded that it was hard to tell if they were older. The bridge is thought to lie on an historic saltway, which is its link to the Salter’s Lane puzzle piece. The saltway was in existence long before the church and the bridge.

Two other puzzle pieces are visible near the bridge: remains of stone causeways or human-built reinforced road surfaces. One influences the lay of the churchyard, running between the graveyard and the hedge at the road. The other runs from the churchyard outside the hedge almost to the bridge.

The final puzzle piece we found was also noted on the interpretive sign. A nearby property called Portersfield was once a stopover point for traders following the packhorse route. The name now makes that explanation obvious, but if I had seen it outside the context of the bridge, I wouldn’t have made the association!

I am grateful to the Lincolnshire County Council for their interest in the history of the packhorse bridges in the county and for the very informative interpretive signs that they’ve erected near them.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Grazing Animals - Including Ponies - Doing Good

As you are likely aware, there is a debate raging about whether we humans should all be vegetarians, with the related opinion that livestock raised for meat should be removed from landscapes.  Like anything in life that’s important, it’s a complex topic.  Grazing animals such as cattle, sheep and goats can do damage to landscapes, a truth that fuels the pro-vegetarian/anti-livestock camp.  However, it is also the case that grazing animals can benefit landscapes when their grazing is managed with that goal in mind.  In a large swath of North America, grazing animals were an important part of healthy ecosystems prior to the arrival of Europeans to the continent, and around the world there are increasing numbers of farmers and ranchers who are successfully using livestock to improve landscapes and soil health.  In England, Fell Ponies are being used for this sort of beneficial grazing in their home region (click here to for more information).

In a recent paper in the journal animals, famed professor and livestock handling expert Temple Grandin laid out the current research that supports the title “Grazing Cattle, Sheep, and Goats Are Important Parts of a Sustainable Agricultural Future.” She concludes the article with “Well-managed grazing systems can be truly sustainable and improve soil health, help sequester carbon, and maintain plant biodiversity.  The grazing animals are part of the cycle of life and the natural grass ecosystem.  They are a natural part of the land.”  (1)  I have an ongoing assignment for Rural Heritage magazine to write articles on this and similar topics.

Usually, the discussions about the benefits of managed grazing involve the species that Grandin includes in her paper:  cattle, sheep, and goats.  A new book crossed my desk, however, that gives equine owners guidance on how to feed their animals with the same goals in mind:  improving landscapes and soil health.  Called Species-rich Grassland:  The Secret Key to Equine Health, the book is written by a German scientist who lays out in both an informative and entertaining way the science of managing forage and choosing forage products for the benefit of equines and their landscapes.  The book was published in 2019 and translated from German in 2021.  The author is a PhD ecophysiologist specializing in equine pastures, and she has copiously referenced current and historical research from around the world in this volume. 

Things that we regularly take for granted when we have equines are called into question in the book.  For instance, Vanselow considers mowing hay to be ecologically damaging in most cases because it reduces species diversity, both in forage plants and in the numerous other animal species that call pastures home.  Any hay meadow that has to be resown every few years also should be cause for reconsideration.  Fortunately, numerous case studies are given to show how to manage grassland more holistically, opening the reader’s mind to how our own landscape or the landscape from which we purchase forage products can be managed better for the health of our equines and other community members.

The book is available from the publishers of Rural Heritage magazine.  I highly recommend it for its thought-provoking and inspiring content.

1. Grandin, Temple.  “Grazing Cattle, Sheep and Goats are Important Parts of a Sustainable Agricultural Future, animals, 2002.12.2092, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162092, 8/16/22.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Pack Saddles and Fell Ponies

Turkey Trot Sand Lily prepared for packing equipment in canvas panniers into a logging job in a roadless area. Note that the rear girth on this saddle is farther back than would be comfortable on a male pony.

I received a question about pack saddles for Fell Ponies. And then I received another one. And then I received some fascinating information about pack saddles used during the packhorse era in Cumbria when ancestors of our Fell Ponies were an important part of transport and commerce. So I thought I had better collect the information that I have on packsaddles and Fells into one place.

Historic pack saddle at Eskdale Mill in Boot, Cumbria. It appears that the saddle and padding are integrated in this saddle. Photo courtesy Kate Hughes.

While the questions I received were about pack saddles, I consider here the topic a bit more broadly. Besides the saddle proper, there is a pad and usually some sort of container (often called panniers) which is attached to the saddle to enable loads to be carried. Sometimes there aren’t three distinct pieces to a pack outfit. For instance, the historic packhorse saddle at Eskdale Mill in Boot, Cumbria appears to have the saddle and padding combined together. And I have strapped loads directly to the saddles, as is often done with the famous Decker pack saddles, specially designed to be stronger for awkward loads.

A pack pannier system designed to be placed over a western saddle. Top: before a trash pickup project. Bottom: Before an overnight work pack trip. Photos courtesy Dawn Munro and Paula Guenther

A friend introduced me to yet another variation. She found panniers designed to fit over a riding saddle (do an internet search for Trail Max Saddle Panniers to see where to purchase them; at this writing, Amazon carries them.) Here’s what she shared after taking an overnight trip that went well: “Sometimes people face a barrier to packing with their equine because they think they need a formal pack outfit, but there are other options. The Trail Max Panniers are heavy duty and have straps in the right places. I used them with the vintage endurance trail saddle that is my normal and best fitting saddle. You can get plastic cargo boxes that fit the bags, but we did pretty well balancing the load without boxes. The only disadvantage to the design is that it is difficult to tighten the saddle’s girth with the bags full, so after the first quarter mile we needed a two-person lift-and-tighten maneuver. There is a big O ring that the rear flank cinch goes through and one at the center that can go to center D ring or pommel on saddle, whichever works better. I did remove the stirrups, fenders and leathers for a more streamlined profile. You wouldn’t have to, necessarily, and toward the end of hike out, I was pretty tempted to climb up and ride with legs cocked forward!”

When I responded to my first inquirer about pack saddles for Fells, I began at the beginning, meaning comfort of the pony. If a pony’s packsaddle is fit properly, the pony will work more willingly and safely than if the pony is asked to work with ill-fitting tack. Fitting pack saddles is similar to fitting riding saddles in that the length of the bars and ‘sit’ of the bars contributes to the comfort of the pony. For that reason, it’s important that you figure out a way to try out the packsaddle before buying, for instance by finding a local provider of packsaddles. (For an extensive article on saddle fit and Fell Ponies, click here.)

Often Fells have short backs so they require shorter bars than horses do. When I picked out packsaddles for a job for our logging and construction business several years ago, I considered both horse and burro sizes to fit the various ponies I was using on that job. I have even used a llama pack saddle on a pony, though it’s a compromise because llamas have a heavy fleece coat that allows for straighter saddle bars so extra padding is needed to fit the saddle to an equine.

Gravel being unloaded from apple-picking bags used as panniers on a packsaddle. Restar Lucky Joe is the Fell Pony.

The packsaddles I purchased for that professional job came with saddle pads. They were larger and thicker than pads for riding saddles to ensure that the back of the pony is sufficiently protected from the bars of the saddle as well as the load. Once you have the saddle and pad figured out, then you may add panniers of some sort. I have simple canvas bag-type panniers as well as apple picking bags for a gravel hauling job I did once (click here to read more). I also have nylon-lined open-top bags that I have packed greens for holiday wreaths in.

Linnel Doublet, known as Rusty, wearing an early 1900s English pack saddle while on a walk on an historic packhorse track in the Lake District.

Hynholme Amber wearing a replica of a vintage English packsaddle in the Lake District.

In 2015 my late husband and I took two Fell Ponies on a walk over Burnmoor in the Lake District on an historic packhorse track. Christine Robinson of the Kerbeck stud provided the ponies and pack saddles, to which we strapped our lunches in burlap bags. The ponies were Hynholme Amber (the black in the photos) and Linnel Doublet, known as Rusty (the bay in the photos). The two saddles were differently constructed. Christine recalls, “The saddle Rusty had on was purchased at a Vintage Traction Engine Show in Dorset. I haven't seen one like it before or after. It is actually with a friend of mine near Bristol, so I can't check exactly, but I remember it was stamped as being made in London in the early 1900s; sorry I can't remember the maker or exact date. I suspect it was Military. It also had stirrup bars on, so could be ridden on, but I'm not sure I'd fancy that! The saddle on Amber was made by my husband and was a copy of one belonging to a Heavy Horse Centre/museum. Although we use it as it is, it would originally have had pads and girth straps similar to the other one.”

Knowing my interest in packhorse history, Helen Caldwell of the Cumbria Industrial History Society sent me an excerpt from a book that is fascinating to ponder. It describes touring an historic hall in the Lake District and says in part, “Returning downstairs to the passage between the old portion and the kitchen, Mrs. Nelson, the occupier’s wife, told me that this part and the kitchen were at one time a shed. Pointing to several small remains of pulleys fastened to the beams, she said that over them ran ropes to lift the loads from the pack-horses. In the kitchen I found a pulley complete, and from this it is possible to visualize the scene in the old days. A long string of heavily-laden ponies would draw up toward evening in the yard and would then be led under this shed or porch in batches, there being arrangements to deal with about half a dozen at a time. Then, with an arrangement of ropes and hooks, the loads tied on the saddles could quickly be lifted off before the ponies were stabled for the night. The process would be reversed the next morning and considerable time would thus be saved, the unpacking and repacking of the merchandise being avoided.” (1)

It is possible that ‘to lift the loads from the pack-horses’ means to lift the entire saddle with panniers or other containers still attached. When you look at the packsaddle that Rusty wore on our trip over Burnmoor, it’s easy to imagine that that sort of packsaddle would be easy to lift by a pulley system as described. Alternatively, it’s possible that just the panniers were lifted and the saddles were removed in a separate step in the evening process. When lifting loaded panniers onto a packsaddle, it is always advisable - for the comfort of the pony and the security of the saddle - to attach both panniers at the same time to the saddle so that the saddle doesn’t try to spin from being weighted only on one side. The pulley system described here would be a tremendous help, with one person potentially being able to lift both panniers alone. Regarding ‘the unpacking and repacking of the merchandise being avoided,’ I feel this statement stems from a lack of understanding of packing. I have never unpacked the contents of the panniers at the end of the day. The whole point of having panniers or similar containers is to enable them to be removed still loaded and then be reattached in their loaded state to the saddle the next day. The pulley system described here instead provides advantages already discussed above: either enabling the entire saddle-and-panniers combination to be removed at once or the panniers to be removed by a single person.

Mowcop Black Bess putting a klibber to use for Eddie McDonough. Courtesy Eddie McDonough

Fell Ponies of course are not the only mountain and moorland pony breed that have a heritage of packing. For instance, Shetland Ponies were used extensively to carry peat on the isles of their home terrain. The packsaddles used there were called klibbers and were of very economical construction. Fell Pony enthusiast Eddie McDonough has constructed a klibber for his mare Mowcop Black Bess and has shared his design; click here for more information.

If you have read this far, you have likely concluded that there have been and continue to be a variety of pack outfits that can be used on Fells. The choice is up to the human involved in the packing project! If you are aware of other historic saddles or modern experiences packing with ponies, I would love to hear about them!

I am grateful to my ponies and to Christine Robinson, Eddie McDonough, Helen Caldwell, and my late husband for opportunities to advance my education regarding packing with ponies.

1. Palmer, J.H. Historic Farmhouses In and Around Westmorland. Kendal: Westmorland Gazette, Ltd. 1946, p. 90.

Integrating the Herds

For a variety of reasons, I had been running my Fell Pony mares in two herds: three mares with foals at foot in one and two mares and three fillies in the other.  After three of those ponies left for their new home, it was time to integrate the remaining ponies in a single herd.   

I did it at the end of the day when the open mares and fillies were hungry, thinking that they would head off to graze and the other mares with foals would be elsewhere.  But when I got to the barn, the mares and foals arrived there too, so it was fascinating to see what happened next. 

I opened the gate to the pasture from the corral so that the four mares and fillies could come out.  Before they did, though, the two mares and foals started to go in.  The oldest colt, Robert, did go in with his mother and Robert proceeded to try and interact with the mares, but the other mare, Matty, took one look at the situation and headed right back out to pasture with her son Rory following close behind.  She wanted no part of the interactions that were about to unfold. Meanwhile Honey defended Robert when one mare ran at him before Robert figured out that he needed to be a little bit respectful.  At that point, everybody followed Matty and Rory out to pasture.

I checked on the ponies ninety minutes later, and they were all together in a nook of the pasture.  Well, mostly together.  Matty still had Rory off to one side, but the rest were grazing together, with Robert still expressing interest in the females and they wanting him to back off.  I know the dynamics will continue to evolve as the two herds become fully integrated into one, and I look forward to watching!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Microchip Miracle Worker

To register our Fell Pony foals, we are required to microchip them.  Microchips are in hollow needles that are inserted in the neck (usually).  In order for the microchip to fit in the needle, the needle needs to be larger than your average vaccine needle.  It therefore is quite a poke and quite a test of a young pony’s tolerance for new experiences.  When I have a colt that is being gelded, I make sure the microchip is inserted while they’re under anesthesia.  But there are stud colt prospects and fillies that must endure the implantation of microchips while awake. 

I do what I can to prepare my youngsters for the microchipping experience by poking them with a toothpick while rubbing them in favorite places.  I have found, though, that some veterinarians are more skilled at inserting a microchip than others, causing less trauma.  I have been supremely impressed with how Dr. Stephanie Stevens at Cheyenne River Animal Hospital inserts microchips.  Some veterinarians want to shave the area, swab it with alcohol, and then give a local anesthetic.  In my experience, these steps just give the foal more to get worked up about.  Some vets have told me that the shave-and-swab step doesn’t really improve the cleanliness of the procedure enough to justify the additional time and effort. 

Dr. Stephanie’s technique is to first befriend the foal in the horse trailer where it is with its mother.  The befriending process eventually includes rubbing the neck where she will be working.  I appreciate this step because it’s something my foals are accustomed to from my handling.  Then she quickly folds the skin of the neck and inserts the needle.  The foals rarely take more than a single step backward before the procedure is complete.  I am always on the opposite side of the foal so I can’t claim to know exactly how she does it, but what I do know is that her relationship with the foal doesn’t change from before to after the insertion of the chip.  I consider Dr. Stephanie my microchip miracle worker and am so grateful to have her work with my ponies.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Things You Might Experience When You Bring a Fell Pony Weanling Home!

Willowtrail Storm King went to his new owner at eight months of age.  When his owner contacted me three months later, the stories she told were a beautiful composite of all that I have heard from people after they bring a Fell Pony youngster into their lives.

 From King’s owner:

 I love him and he is sweet as can be but also Stubborn with a capital S 😁.

 The farrier came a week ago and King was about as uncooperative as can be. So I asked the farrier if I could have a minute with him. I threw the lead rope over his back and easily picked up, held, patted, rubbed and squeezed all of his feet while he stood quietly. We decided the only thing different was me holding the lead rope versus King being at liberty. The farrier then proceeded to trim King with no fuss with the lead rope over his back.

He loves a good full body scratch, so I will drape myself all over him, scratch him everywhere and he loves it.

He does well with all the big horses.  He is the only one who gets along with everyone else, so he can go in with any of the horses on the property. He also likes to be alone sometimes, so occasionally he will be grazing all the way across the property from everyone else.

He is super smart and has shown me every weak spot in my fences and has visited the neighbors twice. He can open most doors and likes to get into the tack room, so we have had to find different ways to lock it. He likes to open the round pen and let himself in or anyone who might be in there out.

He's so much fun. Really one of the bright spots in my life.

 Having spent so many years with Fell Ponies, while they are bright spots in my life, I no longer realize how they differ from other equines.  Messages such as this one from King’s owner bring both a smile to my face and valuable perspective.  I am so luck that King has landed in such a great place.

 © Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Pony Cost of Ownership

Sometimes people inquire about Fell Ponies and then realize the purchase price is more than they can afford.  I tell them I appreciate their interest and hope they can fulfill their equine hopes, desires, and dreams another way.  Yet in my experience, the purchase price is just the first of many economic considerations to owning a Fell Pony.  The others can be collectively thought of as cost-of-ownership.  (I learned the same thing about owning a car.  Purchase price is one thing; fuel, insurance, maintenance, tires, and other related expenses vary considerably but are very real considerations when owning an automobile.)

When a client very wisely asked me about the cost of ownership of a Fell Pony, I sighed and said, ‘it depends.’  Even my own pony cost-of-ownership has changed over the years as I have changed locations and management strategies.  For instance, in the high mountains of Colorado, I had pasture only three months a year, so I fed lots of hay the rest of the time.  When I moved to South Dakota, my herd is able to stay on pasture most of the year, and I feed most of my hay in the spring and summer when I keep the herd off the greenest of the grass part-time to manage their weight.  Even with the same number of ponies, my feed costs have changed significantly as have their logistics.  I still make tremendous use of a dry lot so that my ponies can stay in their herd but off the pasture. Every year I learn something new to lower the expense of owning ponies, and every year I learn something new I want to buy to care for them better!

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension includes in their Guide to First-Time Horse Ownership (click here) a section called ‘Budgeting for the Expense of Horse Ownership.’  Their major categories are board, feed, health care, farrier, bedding, equipment, and other, including training and insurance.  My list would be a little different since most people I interact with own their own horse housing so instead of board there are expenses like fencing, water, manure management, pasture management, and equipment expenses for these activities (tractor, manure spreader, etc.).

Within the feed category are numerous subcategories like salt, minerals, digestible energy, and hay.  I choose to invest in the best quality of supplements I can because I consider it preventive medicine.  Hay costs vary not only by location and size of bale, but year to year, mostly up and up and up!!!  Fell Ponies are easy-keepers so require less hay than the typical horse, but they often are on dry lot more than a horse so may actually require more hay than a horse kept on the same property.

The University of Maine publication says about health care, “the amount spent on health care varies among horse owners, depending on the frequency of scheduled exams, deworming, and vaccinations. Breeding incurs much higher vet services for pre-breeding checks, pregnancy checks, additional vaccinations, and post-natal care. Emergency veterinary care can cause a significant increase in the costs associated with this category.”  I have learned the hard way that I can completely blow up my pony-keeping budget when an injury occurs.

Many Fell Ponies do quite well barefoot, so the costs farrier-wise are often the cost of a barefoot trimmer.  And Fell Ponies do best when kept in a way that they can move regularly, not kept in stalls, so there’s a potential savings on bedding but perhaps more thought needed for how to keep them moving without keeping them on pasture constantly where they can become overweight.  And it’s not just pasture that can make them overweight.  My first Fell Pony was two hundred pounds overweight when I bought her from having free choice hay in a feeder and not much required movement.

Equipment costs – saddles, bridles, lead ropes, cleaning equipment, etc. – vary by owner and type of use to which the pony is put.  With Fell Ponies being so versatile – ride, drive, draft, pack - they can cause this category to get big.  I have saddles, driving harness, draft harness, pack saddles…. you get the idea!!

It’s easy to assume that if you aren’t interested in showing, that the Other category might be one where expenses could be saved.  I have found, though, that these ponies make me want to learn, so training for me and them - whether on-line, purchased materials, or in person - is a constant, varying in dollar amount as I learn and search out new instructors.

The University of Maine publication has some very sound concluding advice.  “Maintain accurate records of costs and make adjustments to maximize the amount of pleasure received from the money spent for horse ownership…  The cost of horse ownership can be regulated by understanding the needs of the horse and selecting products that most efficiently meet those needs.”  I appreciate the advice to make mindful the connection between pleasure and expense outlays.  These ponies bring lots of joy that makes expenses on their behalf much easier to afford.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Equine Track Systems and Predators

A client asked if she could realistically keep an equine on a small acreage.  I suggested she look at track systems, also called Paddock Paradise by Jamie Jackson.  She then expressed concern about coyotes and other large predators with a pony in a track system.  Having lived with large predators myself and experimented with a track system, I realized I had more questions than answers for my client, and I needed to do some research.

A Fell Pony on my alpine pony track in Colorado, using deep snow as virtual fencing.

One of the first courses I took after moving to Colorado many years ago was about keeping livestock on small acreage in Colorado.  I immediately learned that what’s possible in other parts of the country regarding livestock isn’t possible in the dry climate of the Rockies.  Seven acres of pasture may support two horses in Minnesota, but in parts of Colorado seven acres only provides 17 grazing days in an entire year!  Getting creative with how those acres are used, then, is imperative to keeping both equines and the landscape healthy.  That’s where a paddock paradise or track system can help.

As a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension document says, “Wild horses travel great distances along familiar tracks each day, and paddock paradise tries to mimic this using a track system.…  The design can be as simple as running temporary fence along the perimeter fence of a pasture to create a narrow alleyway for animals to move within.” (1)  I used the concept to increase movement of my ponies during the winter months using snow banks as fence as shown in the picture (click here to read more).  I found it improved both their mental and physical health.

In Colorado, we had coyotes, mountain lions and towards the end of my time there, wolves.  Because my tracks were never fenced narrowly, I never worried about these predators because I figured the ponies had room to move if they needed to get away or position themselves for a well-placed kick or stomp.  On a narrow, fenced track, though, after my client asked, I wondered if predators could cause problems when their coping strategies are constrained by closely spaced fences.  Remember that dogs are also predators and can cause problems for equines.

The first thing my research turned up is that people have generally found that horses and large ponies like the Fell can take care of themselves well enough that predators won’t bother them.  Smaller ponies and miniature horses, on the other hand, may need to be stalled at night to keep them safe when large predator pressure is high. 

The other key point was to use electric fencing initially to build the track system.  A few of the reasons include:

• Electric fence can be relatively easily and economically changed if the design isn’t quite right for the situation.  Permanent fence can then be built when the equines and predators have revealed their patterns of coexistence.

• When sufficiently provoked, equines will take out an electric fence to get themselves to safety if they have to, providing valuable feedback to us as stewards.  I had this happen once when a tree fell down.  The ponies weren’t injured when they were startled and took out the fence, and the fence was relatively easily repaired.  The ponies still respected the fence thereafter, probably because it was only the first pony through the fence that endured the shock; the others just followed.

• Electric fence can be configured to effectively shock some predators. 

One feature of a paddock paradise design that I think would be helpful when planning to co-exist with predators is to incorporate a paddock or wide spot in the track where the ponies could run to if needed to more effectively deliver a kick or stomp.  Often people incorporate a corral at the barn into their track or a wide spot where they feed hay or leave minerals so the herd can gather briefly there.

One person with experience with equines co-existing with coyotes said they encourage their male dogs to urinate along the track boundary to discourage coyotes from entering the track.  They also use chain link fence and electric fence to discourage entry.  Another person uses wind chimes and electric fence.

My mind is eased now, having heard that there are ways to build track systems that allow coexistence with resident predators.  I am grateful for how easily good information emerges on the subject with an internet search!

1)      https://sam.extension.colostate.edu/topics/pasture-range/paddock-paradise-track-system-for-horses

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

Pasture Ornaments and Housewives

My sister and I had a conversation about our mother. Mom passed away several years ago, but of course not a day goes by that I don’t think of her influence on my life. She worked outside the home only once briefly for pay, but she was never idle. Her pastimes were often civic-minded, a value that she and my dad successfully passed on to all three of us kids.

One night several years ago we had company for dinner. Our guests were both equine-minded, and my husband good-naturedly chided all three of us for our ‘frivolous’ equine hobbies. A few days before that we’d met with a client who asked how many ponies I had. I felt that beyond wanting the number, there was a curiosity behind the question about why anyone needs so many.

When I was talking to my sister about our mother, I remarked about what an impossible role model Mom had been. My sister and I both work outside the home for pay, yet the home Mom made and the numerous outside activities that Mom sustained are the pattern we were brought up with and judge ourselves against. We both do well with career and outside activities but aren’t as accomplished in some of the other things our mother did so well.

I once had a new pony who was in serious need of lessons on being a mountain pony. I put the new pony in with the mares, and after a few quiet moments a circus erupted and it was clear that the new herd member wasn’t terribly welcome. After we intervened in the high-spirited antics, things quieted down again and I noticed which pony the newcomer was standing with. Plan B regarding mountain pony lessons became clear. There couldn’t have been a better equine teacher that the new pony could have gravitated towards. Yet that pony would be called a pasture ornament by many because she was too old to work anymore.

The one time that my mother worked outside the home was when she was a state legislator. Her campaign for office was not only a family affair but also a natural extension of our family’s civic-minded activities, which included regular work on political campaigns. In the information book for the state government, Mom’s picture appeared with all her legislative colleagues, much like in a yearbook. Under each legislator’s name was their occupation. At least one other officeholder shared Mom’s occupation: homemaker. Not only was ‘homemaker’ an excellent description of what these women did outside elected office, but it also had fewer negative connotations than ‘housewife.’

When I got my first pony, my intention was to put her to work, which I successfully did. When I got my second pony, my intention was to put him to work. I was also successful with him. I’ve always tried to make sure every pony here has a job. I have to admit, though, that often the job is more in my mind than in how they spend the hours of their day.

Mom was aware of all the negative connotations of the term housewife and her frequent retort was, “Yes, all I do all day is sit around reading movie magazines and eating chocolate bon-bons.” We put a movie magazine and some chocolate bon-bons in her grave because we knew she’d never had time or use for them when she was alive. Maybe her afterlife would be different.

One day I had visitors who wanted to meet the ponies. We ended our tour in one paddock where we started talking about pony-related topics. One mare stood with us the whole time and eventually inserted herself into the conversation. I think I had been mentioning some grieving that I’d been going through, and my pony responded by moving closer to me and putting her head quietly and carefully over my shoulder. It was incredibly touching. And it wasn’t the first time one of my ponies (especially my Fell Ponies) has responded in some way to a heavy emotion I’m experiencing.

I was contacted by a Fell Pony enthusiast wanting to grow their herd, but they qualified their goal by insisting they didn’t want any new ponies to just be pasture ornaments. I wondered if they would consider Fells running on the fells of Cumbria to be pasture ornaments. And it made me think again about the term housewife and its similarities to pasture ornament. These two terms are so often used with heavy (negative) judgment. My experience, though, has been that those labeled with these terms often contribute so much to the quality of the life they share with others. I think of the many moments of profound peace I have felt thanks to my mother’s homemaking and my ponies’ presence in my pastures, moments that are priceless. My hope is that the people who use these terms judgmentally will someday experience the profound gifts that housewives and pasture ornaments bring to life.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

More stories like this one are in my book What An Honor, available internationally by clicking here or on the picture.

The Ultimate Broodmare Compliment

It is a compliment from a broodmare when she allows us to see her young foal, since she can be expert in blocking a view with her body.  And it’s even more of a compliment when she allows us to handle her foal, whether it is disinfecting its navel, teaching it to wear a halter, or any of the other early-in-life handling chores we may choose to do with foals.  But in my experience, the ultimate broodmare complement is even more meaningful.

I was visiting with a veterinarian on a Sunday, so she had her young son at the clinic with her.  We were talking about pony breeding, and she explained to her son that we rarely get to see baby ponies born.  I agreed with her, as I have mares whom have never complimented me by allowing me to be present when they give birth.  This year, though, all three of my mares complimented me with that experience.

The first was Willowtrail Mountain Honey.  I had attended her first birthing experience a few years before, so I was hopeful I would again receive the compliment of her wanting my presence.  This time I had been monitoring her and could tell she had chosen to foal on a day when I had to be away for several hours.  If it had been a less-important event, I would have re-scheduled it, so I was terribly upset to be leaving.  Sometimes miracles happen, though, and when I told a friend about my dilemma, she immediately offered to come out to the ranch to sit with Honey while I was gone.  At a discreet distance from Honey, my friend read a novel in the spring sunshine, enjoyed tea in the shade of a tree, and struck up conversations with Honey occasionally.  Nonetheless, Honey chose not to foal while I was gone.

Willowtrail Mountain Honey giving birth to Willowtrail Robert

I arrived back home in the late afternoon and took over watching Honey.  Every two hours or so, I checked her waxing and behavior.  I went to bed without her foaling, and I set my alarm for every two hours.  Honey could have chosen to foal, then, when I had just gone back inside but instead she waited until I appeared at 1am to begin the last stages of labor.  Willowtrail Robert was born not long after.  (I always ponder when the actual moment of birth is, since it’s not uncommon for hind legs, for instance, to stay inside the birth canal for several minutes after the rest of the body has greeted air.  Some foals try to stand before their hind legs are fully ‘born’!)

It might be fair to say that a greater compliment came to me a few weeks later when it was Drybarrows Calista’s turn to give birth.  The previous year she had chosen, with help from my timed monitoring schedule, to give birth without me there.  So I felt especially honored that she chose differently this year, giving me the great compliment of wanting me there.  Rambler was born shortly after midnight.

Drybarrows Calista giving birth to Willowtrail Rambler

Mare number three was Bowthorne Matty.  Matty had previously had seven foals for me, and I had been honored to attend birthing for many of them.  This time I almost missed the birth of number 8, Willowtrail Rory, because I forgot to set the alarm for the two-hour check.  Bless Matty for sending me a wake-up call so I could be there! 

Bowthorne Matty and Willowtrail Rory when he first stood at sixteen minutes

I consider a mare choosing to have me present for the birth of a foal to be the ultimate compliment she can give me because it is such a major physiologic and emotional event for her.  And as a breeder, it is an incredibly meaningful one for me.  In Carolyn Resnick’s horsemanship program, she considers her ‘Sharing Territory’ exercise to be the most important. It is about spending time ‘doing nothing’ with an equine but the reality is that it is very much about being present which can be more challenging than ‘doing nothing’ for us humans!  Carolyn says that when done correctly, Sharing Territory builds a strong bond between human and equine.  The time I spend with a new mother and pony is very similar to Carolyn’s Sharing Territory exercise, and I credit it and all the other relationship-building that I do with my ponies for the compliments they give me back.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

You can find more stories like this one in my book What An Honor, available by clicking here or on the book cover.

Treats. Treats? Treats!

Every pony person at some point ponders whether to give treats to their partner. Horse people have the same wondering. Some of my ponies get treats and some of them don’t. I’ve had the bad experience of giving a pony a treat that I shouldn’t have. It took months for the pony to come back around to not begging constantly and being pushy looking for me to give it something to eat. Because of that sort of experience, I’ve always said that some ponies can have treats and others can’t.

However, I started thinking about the topic differently thanks to a master horsewoman. She suggested the idea that ponies can be taught to have good manners around treats. It was a statement that seemed so obvious when I heard it but one I had never considered before. This horsewoman, Carolyn Resnick, believes in beginning all her training at liberty and beginning it around food. Her point is that if you don’t have good behavior at liberty and around food, how can you expect to have it when doing other things with the equine constrained in some way by tack? It is a fascinating study.

This begging behavior needs to be reshaped before the pony receives a treat. She needs to seem uninterested, preferably standing back in a relaxed manner with ears not back.

These weren’t completely new ideas. I ask my ponies to have good manners around feed buckets, for instance, which definitely improves our relationship. They aren’t allowed to eat after I put the bucket before them until I give them permission. Carolyn points out that the starting point around giving treats is to understand what good behavior around treats looks like. I admit I had never consciously considered what good behavior would look like when giving a treat; I just recognized bad behavior and then didn’t see the opportunity for reshaping it!

Carolyn also says that we create food-aggressive equines by the way we feed. This, too, was a new idea to me, in part because, again, I had never really given it much thought. But now it totally makes sense. If we feed our equines without recognizing the opportunity for shaping good behavior, some will end up taking advantage of the situation by becoming pushy, or worse, such as rearing or biting or kicking. I have seen all these behaviors in my ponies at some point, including in foals around their mothers! I am thankful for Caroyln’s Waterhole Rituals for the opportunities they present for shaping good behavior.

For the moment, for the safety of people such as outside buyers and visitors, I will continue to say that some ponies should not be given treats. And when I can I will suggest that there is another perspective!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022

There are more stories like this one in my book The Partnered Pony: What’s Possible, Practical, and Powerful with Small Equines, available by clicking here or on the book cover.

Ideal Weight for a Fell Pony

I got a question from a Fell Pony owner about the ideal weight for a Fell Pony. I love it when Fell Pony owners ask good questions! My first reaction was that ‘ideal weight’ is not a number. I know Fell Ponies as short as 12.2hh and as tall as 14hh or taller, so the ideal weight of any one pony will vary depending on their individual and unique stature. And their weight can and even should vary by season, as well as by work load and by age and by breeding status.

A barely visible valley down this Fell Pony mare’s back indicates body condition at the higher end of the preferred range.

When I bought my first pony, my mentor introduced me to checking for body condition. After reinforcing their lesson about ponies as easy keepers, they explained that you have to use your hands to assess fat covering because hair coats can make visual assessment inaccurate. Since then, I’ve seen numerous articles about how so many equine owners don’t recognize the body condition of their hooved partner. For my inquirer, then, I wanted to find and share a good body condition scoring website. When I did a quick search of the internet, though, I found not one but three sites that together provided what I felt was necessary information.

Body Condition Scoring ranks body condition numerically to identify the ideal fat coverage of an equine, rather than assign a particular weight in pounds as a target. In the US, the scores typically range from 1 (Poor) to 9 (extremely fat), with the adjectives thin, moderate, fleshy and fat in between. I have also heard of a scoring system in France that ranges from 0 to 5, with scoring often done in .25 increments.

On the 0-9 scale, I have personally seen Fell Ponies all the way from a score of 3 (thin) to 8 (fat). The pony scoring 3 (Withers, shoulders and neck accentuated) was a hard keeper for a Fell Pony. The pony scoring 8 (Crease down back. Difficult to feel ribs. Area along withers filled with fat. Area behind shoulder filled with fat, noticeable thickening of neck) was on very rich pasture. (The photograph here isn’t even close to what that pony was like; the crease or valley down its back was nearly an inch deep, compared to barely a quarter inch here.) And pasture isn’t necessary to create high body condition scores. My first Fell Pony mare was two hundred pounds overweight when I bought her, which was in January and she was being fed free-choice hay.

The first helpful website I found was one hosted by the feed company Purina. I appreciated this summary statement: “Most horses, including performance horses and growing horses, should be in a body condition score of 5-6. For optimum reproductive efficiency, broodmares should be a 5-7, and not allowed to lose condition such that they are below a 5 during breeding season. Horses over a condition score of 7 may be at a greater risk for developing metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance.” (1) Purina’s site (click here) has a diagram that effectively shows the areas of the equine that should be monitored for fat deposition (or not). There are good word descriptions of each score from 1 (poor) to 9 (extremely fat).

The second site that I found helpful was Texas A&M University’s (click here). This site had pen-and-ink drawings of each body condition score from 1 to 9. The advantage of drawings is that the artist can more easily draw our eye to key details than a photographer can. In this case, it is more obvious where the changes occur as you move up the scale from thin to fat. Also, this description is in PDF form so is easier to print if that’s something you like to do.

The final website from thehorse.com via the University of Kentucky (click here) describes how to actually score your pony’s body condition yourself. There are helpful photographs showing someone palpating each area of a horse’s body where fat deposition is common.

I don’t think determining ideal weight is any different for a Fell versus another equine, at least as far as body condition scoring is concerned. The most important thing for Fell Ponies is that they are given a time during the year when they lose weight down to a 3-4 score and then they can gain it back up to 5-7. It’s hard on us humans to let them lose weight and become thin, but it’s a completely natural cycle for them, since living out yearround as they’ve done for centuries on the fells of their homeland means gaining in the summer and losing in the winter. The key is that they need to lose weight at some point during the year. While keeping an equine at the same body condition yearround is what some experts recommend, I have had a veterinarian as well as veteran Fell Pony breeders say that the cycle of losing weight and gaining it back is natural and beneficial.

When it comes to body condition scoring my ponies, I often do it visually, which definitely has inaccuracies and disadvantages. When I do a physical examination, I use the fat covering over the ribs to check condition first, just because I have found that that area isn’t as easy to discern visually as, say, the area behind the withers. Checking the ribs in the winter months is especially important since the hair coat then obscures important detail.

So what is the ideal weight for a Fell Pony? It’s not a number of pounds. It is a healthy body condition for the individual pony in their individual living situation at a particular time of year. Mostly, determining our pony’s ideal weight is an opportunity to get to know our pony better, and, really, what could be better than that?!

1) https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/education/detail/body-condition-scoring-your-horse

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022