An age-old tradition in the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) came in for unaccustomed criticism following this year’s outing. At the weekend, farmers and their families herded hundreds of feral ponies off the vast Carnaeddau range for sorting and health checks.
But an experienced mountaineer questioned the “brutal” practice of driving the ponies from the moors using quad bikes and loud yelling. Writing on Instagram, Lisa Wells said she remains “haunted” by what she saw when witnessing the annual gathering 12 months ago.
Her comments gained traction with some animal lovers but were greeted with disbelief by many in the rural community. The ponies are managed by farming members of the Carneddau Mountain Pony Society (CMPS), who claim they would be far worse off without their support.
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Lisa, an ambassador for Eryri, Ordnance Survey and the Ramblers, runs Women Only Walks in the national park. After this year’s pony gathering on Sunday, she described the 2022 event as “incredibly sad” and for this reason she stayed away last weekend.
“The ponies were hunted; they were chased at speed by people on quads who screamed, shouted and revved their engines,” she recalled. “There were people on foot chasing and screaming. Teenagers and children running around shouting.
“The ponies were scared, foals tried to keep up with their mums, some ponies tripped and fell. They did their best to escape but, eventually exhausted, they simply didn’t have any fight left and were herded into the farm.” Calling for a different management approach, she added: “There has to be a kinder and more respectful way to look after these beautiful animals.”
The post attracted some sympathy. A woman said it sounded “horrendous”, another added: “I cannot understand why it is allowed to carry on.” Some called for the RSPCA to get involved. “I’d always believed these beautiful ponies were pretty well cared for,” said one man.
For many people, this perspective betrayed a fundamental misunderstanding of wild animals and their management. Semi-feral ponies will not, they insisted, “respond to a whistle or a carrot”. Unlike domesticated livestock, they won’t canter down the mountain following a feed bucket, said Facebook users.
A horse owner wrote: “For their own protection the ponies are gathered in what may seem a noisy, aggressive way. But it is in fact the best way to keep them moving and get them in safely.” A smallholder added: “How on earth can you ride a quad at speed over rocks, they’re not motocross bikes? As for the noise and shouting, have these people never seen a round-up of any wild animal in any country?”
In recent decades, horseback gathering on the Carneddau has been replaced by quad bikes. Once down the mountain, the ponies are given a health check. Any ponies unlikely to survive the winter are rehomed, many by Horse Sense Wirral. Some colts (male foals) are removed to control numbers and keep the 300-strong herd in balance.
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While there have been allegations of ponies being injured in the annual gather, this year’s only main casualty was a farmer who came off his quad bike and broke his leg. A mountain rescue team came to his aid.
CMPS secretary Gareth Wyn Jones was angered and upset that the gather was considered somehow cruel. Among the 150 or so spectators present on Sunday was a Channel 4 film crew. “They were blown away by it,” he said. “Everyone there absolutely loved it.
“What irritates me is keyboard warriors commenting on an issue without offering any suggestions for alternative ways of getting these ponies off the mountain. I’ve issued an open invitation to anyone to come up here on Sunday and talk me through how else we’re supposed to do.
“Gathering them this way is a celebration of Welsh culture, so it’s disappointing to read comments from people with no real idea of how we manage these animals. If we weren’t there to protect them, it could lead to their demise.”
In April, Carneddau ponies were recognised by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as a true feral population: with numbers stable, they were placed on the Trust’s watchlist. They can’t be recognised as a breed but they are regarded as one of the purest forms of UK native ponies, having not been bred for looks or work, only for survivability on the Carneddau plateau.
Largely a product of nature, they roam over 200 sq km and generally look after themselves. But every now and again, they still need a helping hand. Seven farming families from Llanfairfechan and Bethesda maintain the herd through a management agreement with Natural Resources Wales (NRW). In the past year, they have twice gone up the mountain to rescue stricken ponies: one was trapped, the other had a broken leg.
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A veteran farmer with experience of gathering claimed the concept was not at fault, only the practice. “No need to gallop ponies over rocky ground chased by quads, especially when in foal and foals at foot,” she wrote.
But others noted how the Carneddau farmers will walk older animals off the mountain to prevent any stress. A Conwy woman who used to help farmers with the annual gather, on horseback, added: “Some people just have no idea…. they think these ponies are pets, not wild animals.”
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