Lownthwaite Fell Ponies |
29 September 2003 |
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History of Lownthwaite |
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Today the Lownthwaite ponies are the last semi-feral herd of Fell Ponies to roam the Northern Pennines, much as nature intended and tradition decrees. Their story spans five generations of a family and more than a hundred years in the life of a farm in Cumbria. There have been Fell Ponies at Lownthwaite since at least 1889, when Mr Thomas (Thos) Wales (1849 – 1926) and his mother Mary (1811 -) moved from Melkinthorpe to Lownthwaite at a time when equines were the “power house” of agriculture. While the heavy horses were the mainstays of that power, there was a part to play for the Fell Ponies. Fell Ponies which roamed Milburn Fell, living outdoors on relatively poor keep were an invaluable asset, especially at a time when the horses ate at least half of all the farm’s crop production. The Fell Ponies were used for shepherding and both ridden and trap duties. They could also be utilised, with thought and ingenuity at busy times in the agricultural calendar to subsidise the work of the Clydesdales. They were a good reserve for the farm. |