The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A breed displaced, but not put out to pasture
After their jobs were made obsolete by tractors, Eriskay ponies faced an uncertain future, enter Donald and Mary...
The hardy, versatile Eriskay pony is the last of the original Western Isles native breeds to survive, and with fewer than 300 breeding mares in the UK, they are still on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust’s (RBST) critical list.
The ponies were originally used on the islands as pack ponies, so had to have good temperaments, as it was the women and children who worked with them when the men were away fishing.
As crofts disappeared, or got bigger, and tractors came on the scene, there was no job for the ponies and the breed started its decline.
One Perthshire couple who have done more than most for the breed over the last 40 years is Donald and Mary McGillivray, who have the Braincroft stud of Eriskay ponies at Comrie, near Crieff, and believe they have found a modern role for them.
Earlier this year their valuable work with the breed was recognised by the RBST, when they became the first Scots to win the Marsh Christian Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the conservation of the Eriskay pony.
They were presented with the award at the Highland Show in June and Donald said: “It was ironic that it was 40 years almost to the minute that we first walked into the RSBT tent at the show and saw our first Eriskay pony.”
Mary had a background in horses and riding and Donald, originally from Islay, was interested in the history of the ponies, so they bought a black mare called Peigi from Benbecula, along with her daughter, Ciurstaidh.
They managed to loan a stallion, Ballachan, from Barra, and their breeding venture started.
Peigi’s first foal was a colt, Braincroft Fingal, which was widely used as a stallion all over the UK, from Aberdeen to Cornwall. He fathered 54 foals and received special recognition from the Eriskay Pony Society for services rendered nationwide.
Lucy was the next island mare to come home and she bred a string of fillies.
Mary, now in her 70s, said: “At our peak we had five breeding mares, a stallion and youngstock but now we are down to three mares, although one is for riding, and a couple of geldings.”
One of the current mares, Braincroft Mayflower’s last foal was a colt, Braincroft Glen Artney, which was gelded and won the youngstock class at the Highland show this year as a threeyear-old. However Mary is disappointed that he had to be gelded.
She said: “We have a real problem in keeping colts until they can be assessed at two years old. If a group of youngsters could be kept together it would be ideal but there are too few breeders and they are spread far and wide.
“It is a problem I am sure with all breeds but with our small gene pool we would like to keep as many as possible so that we can use each stallion once and then, if necessary, have him cut.”
Both Donald and Mary were keen to point out the valuable work the RBST does on the genetics side. The trust has developed a traffic light system for mares and potential stallions, to try to develop as many new bloodlines as possible.
Over the years the couple have sold ponies all over the UK and enjoy keeping track of them and also Fingal’s foals. Some customers are looking for a rare breed but many are just looking for the perfect family pony.
Mary said: “Although small, 12 to 13.2 hands high, they are strong, active and sure-footed with fantastic temperaments and I don’t think enough people know about what good family ponies they make.”
Mary’s current riding pony, Braincroft Thrift, was champion at the Highland Show as a three-year-old in-hand, and has won many prizes under saddle since then.
Last year she was second in the Ecosse Elite points league for Scottish breeds, organised by Highfield at Howe. This year she was champion at the breed show – again held at Howe.
Not recognised by the National Pony Society, the Eriskay pony is not included in any of its affiliated shows, however there are still classes at the Highland each year, and some venues have started
including classes at shows locally, which gets the breed noticed.
Away from showing Mary has a huge amount of fun on Thrift. She is on the committee of Strathearn Riders Rural Access Group and will quite happily ride up to 20 miles a day.
She said: “I really appreciate the ease with which one can dismount from an Eriskay pony and get back on again. A great advantage, especially at my age.”
The couple have made so many friends through Eriskay ponies and have enjoyed every minute of that last 40 years with the breed.
Donald said, “We are not quite done yet, we would like to breed another foal.”