Natural survivors

Fell ponies are ‘hefted’ to their area of fell. This means they will not wander from the unfenced common they regard as their home. They learn every patch of good grazing, every water source, every hump and bump of shelter from the wind. The ponies thrive on rough grazing, feeding on a wide range of species and habitat, including purple moor grass and rush pasture, heathland, blanket bog, calcareous grassland and upland hay meadow. “They can live on snow in the winter,” says Bill. A Fell pony can lose a third of its weight over winter without adverse effect, although most owners put out supplementary feed to help the animals along. These ponies are resourceful, digging in snow to find forage, and able to break ice on drinking water. They can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C, their thick winter coats preventing snow on their backs from melting. In summer, they graze as high as 2,500ft (762m) above sea level. They wander widely throughout their range in search of food, but are sensibly cautious on difficult terrain. They maintain generally excellent health, proving very resilient to minor wounds. On the fell, their life span is up to 22 years, and longer if put on good grazing after the age of 20.