Rare Dartmoor ponies settle in for a summer of grazing at RSPB The Lodge in Sandy

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Five Dartmoor ponies have arrived from Devon to spend the next few months on the heathland at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve in Sandy.

Podkin, Pook, Tom, Meldon Princess, and Black Magic were bred on the commons of Dartmoor and at Barramoor Farm, near Bovey Tracey in Devon and will help heathland conservation work at The Lodge.

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Dartmoor ponies are natural conservationists, creating the perfect habitat for wildlife in a number of ways. They selectively eat bramble, birch and other small trees and bushes, helping to keep these plants under control and keep the heathland in good condition for the wildlife that chooses to live there.

As the ponies move across the site to graze, they gently trample bracken under foot which, combined with grazing, will help to break up dense vegetation and allow heathland specialist plants such as heather and gorse to grow.

The Dartmoor ponies arriving at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve - photo Peter BradleyThe Dartmoor ponies arriving at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve - photo Peter Bradley
The Dartmoor ponies arriving at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve - photo Peter Bradley

Manure from the ponies will help invertebrates and fungi thrive on the heathland. Dartmoor ponies often poo in concentrated areas, which will allow populations of insects to flourish in those areas, providing food for other species.

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These hardy native ponies are ‘heathland management specialists’ that are adapted to living on rough terrain and are on loan to the RSPB until early autumn.

Peter Bradley, senior site manager at RSPB The Lodge said: “Dartmoor ponies grazing the heathland not only enable us to manage the heathland habitat naturally for amazing, rare specialist heathland bird species such as woodlark, nightjar and Dartford warbler, but we also get to support an iconic and rare heritage breed of pony. We encourage visitors to see if they can spot them grazing the heathland when they are here as it is really uplifting to see nature helping nature in this way.”

Paul Pearse, owner of the Dartmoor ponies said: “This is the fourth year that our ponies have been on loan to The Lodge nature reserve to help manage its heathland. As each year passes, it is good to hear about the continued positive impact their grazing has had in helping to keep the site healthy and attractive for wildlife.”

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The Lodge’s heathland now provides a haven for species that favour this habitat including rare birds and other species such as the endangered Natterjack toad, grass snake, common lizard and many invertebrates.

In 2005, a heathland restoration project began at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve and since then, the heathland has been coaxed back to life by staff and volunteers through years of careful management, which has included conservation grazing by ponies.

Heathland is rarer than rainforest and is one of the UK’s most threatened habitats for wildlife. The Lodge’s heathland is now the largest stretch of heathland in Bedfordshire.

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The sandy soils below the heath are not fertile and this helps to support specialist plants including heather and gorse which are attractive to particular wildlife species. Dartmoor ponies help to keep vegetation under control through selective grazing, maintaining this important Bedfordshire habitat.

The ponies are best spotted from along the Buzzard trail opposite the Gatehouse shop and cafe, and visitors are kindly reminded not to feed, touch or directly approach the semi-wild ponies when on site.

To find out more about RSPB The Lodge nature reserve, go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/thelodge including opening times and visiting information.

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