Five Dartmoor ponies have arrived at Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire as part of a conservation project. The National Trust hopes the three mares and two geldings will help create ideal conditions for wildflowers and native grasses to flourish
Five Dartmoor ponies have been welcomed to a National Trust property where they will assist in landscape restoration by munching on thistles and other robust vegetation.
The conservation organisation is hopeful that the trio of mares and pair of geldings will help establish ideal conditions for wildflowers and grasses to flourish under the scattered trees at Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire.
Staff have established thousands of trees across areas of former unproductive farmland to recreate traditional parkland environments over the past five years.
The ponies will browse across four connected fields of recently established wood pasture.
Dave Hassall, farm and countryside manager at Wimpole Estate, said: “The Dartmoors are here as part of our conservation grazing programme.
“They’re hardy, gentle grazers, ideal for this kind of habitat work. We’ve already seen how their grazing helps reduce weeds and encourages a richer mix of grasses and wildflowers.
“Within minutes of arriving, one of them was happily munching on a thistle, which is exactly what we were hoping for!”
The National Trust explained that Dartmoor ponies, a native rare breed, are perfectly adapted to the requirements of conservation grazing.
Cattle may harm young tree protectors, and sheep have a tendency to graze too selectively, but ponies can help maintain balanced vegetation structure. Once their work has prepared the ground and they have moved on to another part of the estate, they will be followed by grazing cattle, which will continue to support wildlife while also contributing to food production.
