They Came When I Called

My Fell Ponies graze on a very large pasture with almost 400 feet of elevation change. I have been asked occasionally whether I can call my ponies to the barn so I don’t have to undertake the arduous task of walking out to bring them in. My answer to that question is that I don’t call them to the barn for a couple of reasons. First, they have shown that they willingly come to the barn to see me every morning, so I don’t really need to call them in. And second, if they don’t come to the barn, they usually have a good reason, and I’m curious to find out what it is, so the walk to find them is driven by curiosity. However, when the blizzard of the third and fourth of April 2023 hit, when my ponies weren’t at the barn when I arrived, I did attempt to call them in.

I had seen the ponies the night before, half way into the storm. Nearly a foot of wet heavy snow had fallen without wind so had evenly blanketed everything. When I bid the herd good night, I knew we were due for more snow and also that wind was forecast. The next morning it appeared we had about 20” of snow, but the wind had indeed blown, so drifts were up to three feet in places, and a few places had no snow at all. I was late getting to the barn because I was waiting for the ranch roads to be plowed. When I finally got to the barn, a few hours later than normal, I could see the ponies had been there earlier but weren’t there then. When I left Colorado, I gave away my snowshoes, which would have been the ideal tool for going out in search of the ponies. Since I no longer had them, I decided it was best to try to call the herd.

I filled a tub with hay and started spreading it around the paddocks at the barn, calling as I went. I looked out to the hill every few steps but I couldn’t see any ponies emerging from their usual haunts. I went to fill the tub with hay a second time, and as I returned to the paddocks, I saw the ponies coming in. It was quite a sight to see them streaming at speed over and through the deep snow, down into the ravine and then into the paddocks. The hock and knee action that I breed for were on display as the ponies negotiated the results of the blizzard. And now I could indeed say that my ponies came when I called. I was very thankful.

That night I returned to the barn just before dark. It had been an overcast and cold day, so the snow was as deep then as it had been in the morning. I spread hay as before, and I called the ponies. Once again, they came when I called. Often in the evening they don’t come to the barn; when they do I assume it’s because they feel the need for the additional sustenance of some hay. After this major storm, I was more than happy to provide it. And I admit to feeling relief that I could lay my eyes on all of them and be certain they were weathering the situation well. One lifetime with my ponies will definitely not be enough!

To see a video of my ponies coming in when I called, click here.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

Introducing Globetrotter Moth, Fell Pony Stud Colt

Eight months after first meeting on a fell in Cumbria, I am pleased to welcome Globetrotter Moth to Willowtrail Farm.  This Fell Pony colt’s import journey only had a minor bump, though for me any bump in that journey is a major event!  I’m told he’s a seasoned traveler now, but I think he’ll be happy to stay put for awhile!

It occurred to both Moth’s breeder and me that Moth embodies so much Fell Pony history, for me personally and for the breed.  Moth’s breeder is Libby Robinson.  In the 1990s, Libby exported my very first Fell Pony, Sleddale Rose Beauty.  A lot of water has run under the proverbial bridges of Libby’s and my Fell Pony lives since then.  We have been in touch for more than twenty years because of our connection through Beauty (I bought Beauty from the person who imported her).  A circle of sorts will be completed when I breed Moth to Beauty’s daughter and granddaughter after he becomes a licensed stallion. 

Fell of course is the local word for hill in Cumbria, and the Fell Pony takes its name from those hills that have influenced its characteristics over centuries.  The first fell that I walked on, thanks to Bert Morland of the Lunesdale stud, was Roundthwaite Common.  It was also there that I met Moth last summer at his mother’s side.  I saw dozens of handsome Fell Pony colts on my visit to the breed’s homeland in 2022, and it was Moth that most caught my attention.

On my first trip to Cumbria, I made a point to visit both fell-running and non-fell-running herds to understand the breed’s origins both on and off their namesake hills.  One of the fell-running herds I visited was the Greenholme stud, and I’ve been the fortunate recipient of Potter family hospitality on every trip I’ve made to Cumbria since then.  I’m pleased to finally have some Greenholme blood in my herd; Moth’s father is Greenholme Jasper.  Also on that first trip, I met the multi-supreme champion stallion Murthwaite Look-at-Me who is found in Moth’s pedigree.  Sadly I never managed to cross paths with Tom Capstick of the Murthwaite stud.  I am pleased to now though have some Murthwaite blood in my herd through Moth’s dam, Murthwaite Happy Feet.

Libby’s prefix, Globetrotter, reflects her personal journey with Fell Ponies.  Long before she began to breed, she was using Fell Ponies in her work at a living history museum, in a carriage business, and in competitive and recreational riding and driving.  To have a herd of her own, though, she found land more affordable in France, so she emigrated there in the late 1990s.  After nearly twenty years there, she called me to share an idea she was mulling about helping the Fell Pony breed.  She wanted to bring together the ponies’ long history both of working with farmers and packmen and women and also running semi-wild on the fells.  I admired her idea but I felt she really needed to be in Cumbria to accomplish her vision.  She must have felt similarly; I have admired her courage since she gave up all she had established in France to return to Cumbria to start the Fell Pony Heritage Trust.

I didn’t know until last year that one of Libby’s lifelong ambitions has been to raise Fell Ponies on the fells of Cumbria.  After her return from France, she found a way to fulfill that dream by homing her herd on Roundthwaite Common and bringing forth multiple crops of foals.  I was taken not only with Moth but his 2022 half-sister Globetrotter Molly whom Libby has retained.

In addition to Moth being a traditional Fell by being born on a Cumbrian fell, his pedigree reflects current and historic happenings in the Fell Pony breed.  A current factor is dispersal sales of fell-running herds as breeders age and the logistics of keeping Fells on the fells become increasingly challenging.  Both of Moth’s parents went through dispersal sales.  Greenholme Jasper went through the Greenholme dispersal in 2021, and Murthwaite Happy Feet went through the Murthwaite dispersal in 2015.  Happy Feet went to France to join the Globetrotter herd and returned to a fell in Cumbria a few years later.

One historic happening that is reflected in Moth’s pedigree comes through his mother’s line.  The Inspection Scheme and Grading Up were used in the breed’s past to bring true-to-type but unregistered ponies into the stud book.  Moth goes back to the inspected mare Foggy Gill Judy.  Judy is represented in 5-10% of modern day Fell Ponies.

Another historic part of the Fell Pony breed’s past is traveling stallions.  Stallions would be walked or ridden or driven through parts of Cumbria each season to breed mares at farms where no stallions were otherwise available.  Last summer I met or saw pictures of several sons of Greenholme Jasper at different farms, reflecting that the Greenholme stud had allowed him to be ‘traveled’ for a few years before selling him at the dispersal.  A Jasper daughter is also being imported to the US.

Moth has arrived with his winter coat intact.  Like Cumbria, cold weather has lingered here too, so he will be glad to have it and then lose it as our weather warms.  I am very much looking forward to getting to know Moth and watching him grow into his role as my new stallion. 

A community has certainly made Moth’s presence here possible.  Thank you Libby for allowing Moth to come to the United States.  Thank you Paula and Gwen for enabling my trip to Cumbria last year, for I vowed I wouldn’t import a pony I hadn’t first met.  Thank you Tina, Tracy, and Jackie for looking at pictures and videos of Moth and bolstering my hopes for this young pony.  And of course thank you Bruce for traveling to Cumbria with me, helping me evaluate Moth there, enabling my Fell Ponies to live on a fell-like hill in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and so much more!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

Strange Karma

For more than a year I spoke with a breeder about a young Fell Pony colt they’d bred.  The colt impressed them with its quality, and they were looking forward to finding a way for him to contribute to the breed as a stallion.  Then one day I got the devastating news that the colt had died.  He had been stalled in a barn, just as many of his herd mates had been for many years.  He’d had a halter on while stalled, just as his many herd mates had had for many years.  But he had hung himself during the night from his halter on some protrusion in his stable.  He was dead when his breeder found him at morning check.

The other morning I was doing chores at the barn, and this story came to my mind for some reason.  I had finished preparing vitamin buckets for the herd and had haltered each pony and tied them to the fences, just as I’ve done hundreds if not thousands of times.  I went back to pick up the first set of buckets to distribute, and when I turned around, I saw a pony struggling.  I dropped the buckets and immediately went to my pony to discern how to help.

The pony had caught their rope halter on a protrusion on the fence.  They had pulled the halter so tight that I knew immediately I wouldn’t be able to untie it, so I pulled out my pocket knife and in three quick moves had the halter cut off and the pony freed.  The pony stepped back and shook its head several times and then a few minutes later the pony let me put a new halter on and tie them to the fence in a place where I couldn’t see any protrusions.  Of course I thought the same about the previous tying location; the protrusion on the fence was just a quarter of an inch but had obviously been enough.

It was so strange to remember that just an hour before I had been thinking about the colt that had died.  Ever since hearing that story I’ve been very careful to not leave a halter on a pony when they are turned out in case they should get into trouble and I wouldn’t be there to help them.  The strangeness continued, though, as I reflected on the fact that I’ve now cut two halters off the same pony.  This was the second time this pony had caught their halter on the fence and been unable to dislodge it.  I’ve never cut a halter off any other pony in my herd in more than twenty years of managing them the same way.  And then I realized that the colt that my breeder friend lost is related to the one that I’ve cut two halters off of.  There must be some strange karma in that line of ponies. 

Sometimes things happen that we think we should have prevented.  But often, I think, things happen for a multitude of reasons, most of which we have no control over at all.  We can only do the best we can in each situation and then be humble about our role in the outcome and forgiving of ourselves, too.  Sometimes strange karma may be at work.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

The Drover's Boy by Irvine Hunt

One piece of the Fell Pony’s working heritage is as a pony put to a trap to take the family to town on market day.  Of course that same pony might, on other days of the week, be a shepherding pony or a sledge-pulling pony, or a pack pony carrying hay to a flock of sheep. 

Another piece of the Fell Pony’s working heritage, through its ancestors, is serving as packhorses moving goods from Cumbria to numerous points across England during the packhorse era.  During part of that era, their routes were often shared with cattle and their drovers, also making their way to markets, often outside Cumbria.

My interest in the Fell Pony’s working heritage led a colleague to recommend a book to me.  My bookshelf is heavy with books on this topic, but this one was different because it was fiction.  Nonetheless, I was assured that it was set in Cumbria and historically accurate, so I took a chance.  I’m glad I did.

The Drover’s Boy by Irvine Hunt is a reasonably quick and definitely enjoyable read.  At only 166 pages, it was one of those books that asked for excuses to be made to continue turning the pages.  The book describes an often-overlooked type of droving: of geese.  I look forward to studying the packhorse history of the area where the story is set and then rereading the book again.  A fell pony makes a short appearance in the story, as a driving pony taking a family to market. 

I love learning about the working heritage of Fell Ponies.  It isn’t often that historical fiction brings that heritage to life, so I am thankful for The Drover’s Boy and author Irvine Hunt.  The story painted a portrait in a way non-fiction often doesn’t; I admire authors who can paint such a portrait with words.

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2023

Missing in the Cold

When I arrived at the barn, the ponies were not there. I have learned, because they have shown me, that when the weather is coming from a certain direction, the barn doesn’t have any good cover, so the ponies will await my appearance from afar, where they can see me arrive but from a more sheltered place. It makes me wonder if the weather directions are different than when the barn was built in the 1940s.

That morning, it was below zero Fahrenheit, and with the wind blowing it was pretty bitter, so I put out hay and took shelter for a few minutes in the shed area of the barn. My ponies had indeed seen my activity and came at a trot through the falling snow to tuck into the hay before it was covered with white. I smiled in appreciation, watching them from the barn, and then I paused. I counted and then counted again. There was a pony missing, and then I realized it was one of the pregnant mares. I immediately became concerned.

I stepped back out into the weather and began calling for her. I looked in the direction from which the herd had come, and I didn’t see her. I called again, probably with a little more urgency in my voice. She still wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I called again, louder, and then I saw her. She had emerged from one of the foaling sheds to let me know where she was. I yelled my thanks and went to prepare vitamin buckets for the herd, thinking she would come in when she heard what I was doing.

I finished the bucket preparations, and she still hadn’t arrived. This raised my concern again, so I distributed the buckets to the rest of the herd, picked up her bucket in one hand and put a wad of hay under my other arm and began the trudge through the snow, down into the ravine and back up toward the foaling sheds. I could barely see her; she was back in the shed where it was most protected. She didn’t emerge as I approached, so my concern stayed high. But when she saw I had her bucket in my hand, she stepped out of the depths of the shed and eagerly stuck her head in it. Relief flooded through me. And when she finished the bucket, she started on the hay. I could see she was shivering lightly, but I knew the hay would help.

On my trudge back to the barn, I realized that as low pony in the herd, the others had taken all the prime real estate in the sheds, leaving her on the margins. When they all left for the barn, she finally had the shed to herself, and she wasn’t about to emerge from it! Later in the day she appeared at the barn with the rest of the herd, so the last of my concerns were put to rest.

© 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.

Fell Ponies and Conservation Grazing - 2

In Sue Millard’s book Hoofprints in Eden, Sue describes how Fell Ponies have historically fit into the grazing year of traditional hill farms. She points out that most fell farms are predominantly grass farms, without or with only a small amount of arable land. Fell rights, when they have them, allow the farmers to put their stock – sheep, cattle, ponies – out onto the common so that a hay crop for instance might be harvested from the close-in grounds. Or at least, by the stock being out on the fell, there’s lessened impact of the stock on the close-in ground during the growing season. (1)

Two members of the Globetrotter Fell Pony herd help control rushes at Gowbarrow Hall Farm as part of a regenerative grazing program. Courtesy Libby Robinson

More recently, Fell Ponies have been used for conservation grazing: managed grazing to achieve a defined conservation benefit. For instance, in the winter of 2021, three Greenholme Fell Pony yearlings were used for a few months at Clints Quarry near Egremont, west of the Lake District, to improve habitat for wildflowers. Sarah Dalrymple, Reserves Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, explains the role the ponies played: “The ponies have been brought here deliberately to graze on the vegetation. We want them to control the overgrown scrub, so that the fantastic wildflowers, which this quarry is known for, can thrive. This sheltered quarry is a summertime haven for wildflowers and insects and butterflies and what a wonderful kick-start these ponies will give to the soil and plant life in this very special place.” (2)

Another type of managed grazing where Fell Ponies are used is sometimes called regenerative grazing, where animal densities, duration, and diversity are chosen so as to benefit the health of the ecosystem both above and below ground. Claire Beaumont at Gowbarrow Hall Farm explains, “The Fell Ponies are a key part of the farm’s ecosystem. We have a huge mixture of native flora, which have all evolved with both cattle and ponies. Many of our species are not palatable to cattle, but the ponies appear to love them, such as thistle, tufted hair grass and rushes. The ponies hold back these species’ dominance, therefore having a positive impact on the farm’s biodiversity.

“From mid Spring to mid Autumn the ponies graze our fell plot, which is a mixture of wet peatland and heather moorland. The heather has benefitted considerably from the area being grazed by the ponies. Their animal impact is making space for new growth, keeping the area diverse. We are also seeing the return of lots of wildlife, including ground nesting birds such as grouse.” (3)

Claire continues, “Unlike conservation grazing which generally requires low numbers of livestock over large areas, we are using a combination of high density grazing with very long recovery periods (up to nine months in some areas) and mixed species grazing with cattle, ponies and pigs. Each of the different species of livestock provide their own benefits, including different grazing properties, different dung types to feed our soil microbes and invertebrates, as well as social benefits.” (4)

Also within the last two years, the movie Life of a Mountain: Helvellyn has brought attention to the use of Fell Ponies for conservation grazing. Libby Robinson of the Fell Pony Heritage Trust appeared in the film and was subsequently interviewed by the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald after the movie’s release. In the newspaper interview, Libby emphasized that Fell Ponies are native grazers that have evolved along with other native breeds of livestock and the wildlife of the area to create the existing habitats and to sustain the biodiversity of the area. She also pointed out that like the other native species of livestock, Fell Ponies “…learn how to graze this way through generations of herd maternal teaching, both intuitive and instinctive.” (5)

Libby continued, “They will eat gorse, rush, thistles and even bracken when it is brown. Also their trampling of bracken in the summertime helps keep the sward open in places so the rare high brown fritillary butterfly can find the dapple shade it enjoys. Sphagnum moss – the foundation plant of the UK peatlands – is helped by grazing Fell Ponies who keep invasive species of plants at bay, like Molinia grass, and maintain micro reservoirs of water through their hoofprints so birds and insects can drink.”

Like all grazing animals, Fell Ponies graze on different plants in different locations at different times of the day and year. Their uniqueness, when combined with other types of grazing animals, can enhance soil health and biodiversity.

Fell Ponies doing beneficial grazing isn’t just something that happens in the UK, though. Eric Wilson shared this story about his Fell Ponies in the state of Oregon: “When I watched the movie Life of a Mountain: Helvellyn, I thought it was interesting that the cattle farmers would purposefully graze Fell Ponies behind their cattle as the Fells would eat the weeds and brush that the cattle left behind. I could relate somewhat. I had a good crop of thistle growing in my pasture last summer. Just as I was starting to go out and remove it, I noticed that my ponies had been chewing on it. So I just let them chew away and all the thistle was gone in a week or two, and I did not have to do a darn thing!” (6)

Fell Ponies, like any grazing animal, have their own patterns of grazing. For instance, they will graze different locations at different times of the day and different times of the year. And they will likewise graze different plants at different times of the day and year. Their digestive systems work differently than other grazing animals, such as cattle and sheep, and likewise their urine and manure have different characteristics, too, so provide different benefits to the soil and plant communities than that of cattle or sheep. As we continue to learn more about regenerative grazing generally, we are also learning more about using Fell Ponies as tools in landscape restoration and health. And we’re finding it’s just one more job that a Fell Pony does well!

1. Millard, Sue. Hoofprints in Eden. Hayloft Publishing, Kirkby-Stephen, Cumbria, 2005, p. 43.

2. https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/news/fell-ponies-return-clints-quarry

3. Fell Pony Heritage Trust Facebook post, 4/14/22

4. Gowbarrow Hall Farm 7/12/21 newsletter

5. “Fell Ponies Starring Role in Lake District Film,” Cumberland & Westmorland Herald, 1/9/21

6. Email from Eric Wilson to author, 5/6/21

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