Supporting the Highland Pony Society’s Centenary Celebrations
Being strong advocates of native and heritage breeds, we are proud to be supporting the Highland Pony Society’s 100-year anniversary celebrations this year. In May, the Highland Pony Society and British Horse Society Scotland organised a fundraising ride at Balmoral Estate as one of many events that has been organised to mark the centenary celebration. There were 5, 11 and 20 km routes for the 100 Highland ponies entered to choose from. Dengie Nutritionist Claire Akers was on hand with the portable weighbridge to offer feeding and nutritional advice for all the horse owners attending the event.
One of the key issues facing native and heritage breeds is their tendency to be good doers and so finding the balance between feeding enough to keep the digestive system healthy without promoting weight gain is key. We have recently been collaborating with Writtle University College exploring the use of straw and contributing to the increasing body of evidence to support its use as a great source of low calorie fibre.
An important aspect of supporting rare breeds is finding a purpose for them in the modern world, a sentiment King Charles, who is patron of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, is a particular proponent of. Through working with the team at Balmoral Castle, we have been privileged to see how the Highland Pony is an integral part of life in the Highlands of Scotland and so wanted to support the Working Native Pony in Harness class at the Royal Highland Show in June. There were 14 entries put forward which made for a fabulous sight in the main ring on the Saturday. The eventual winner was Drummond Estate’s ‘Sheena’.
Along with others, we are trying to encourage those showing native and heritage breeds to present them at a healthy weight. We recently sponsored a ring at the NPS Area 15 Spring Show where a special award was given in each class for the pony with the healthiest body condition score.
Long time Dengie ambassador Lizzie Finlayson-Briant demonstrates that it is possible to be successful showing a native pony at a healthy weight by winning the Horse Trust’s Healthiest Body Condition Award in the BSPS Heritage M&M Open Lead Rein Class at the Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead last year. Lizzie discusses the issue of maintaining a healthy weight in a recent Dengie webinar.
