UKC

Looked to be suffering yesterday especially the young ones. With all their grazing covered in snow for some time they won't have eaten for some time. With heavy snow today, prospects don,t look good. Anyone know if anyone cares ? or is responsible for getting some hay bales up the hill ?

In reply to dgp: Saw plenty around today hoofing at the ground to reach grass. Another one ran across the hillside, and it was neighing loudly (and by the sound of it, a distressed neigh).

Not sure if anyone is responsible. Local farmers round them up once a year for health checks and such.

In reply to dgp: The ponies are quite capable of getting at the grass underneath and it's conditions like this that is the reason they fatten up in the summer- they've been there for hundreds of years and didn't require our help then, what makes you think that it would change now.

This isn't me not caring because I hate to see animals suffering this is me pointing out that they don't require our help

In reply to chrisclimber_1986: Thanks was just concerned about the amount of snow cover and the length of this cold spell. I,m sure they could look after themselves if they could cross cattle grids or mountain walls (which confine them on the hill) to come down to the valley to seek shelter in the trees

In reply to dgp:
more to the point, how's aber falls shaping up??

In reply to dgp: Plenty of walls completely covered by drifts today. They could probably get to the Spar in Bethesda if they were so inclined!

In reply to dgp: they are native mountain and moorland ponies, they are made to live up in the harshest of conditions. My grandad owns most of them on the ogwen and bethesda side of the Carneddau range. Owns as in the one responsible for the yearly checks as stated.
Pretty tough creatures they are, stubborn to get down from the hill too! Unlike sheep, which have set grazing areas, the ponies roam so they're hard to keep track of. However they are monitored by all the farmers locally and they seem to cope by themselves.

cheers

Ioan Doyle and Katy

In reply to IOAN D:
Ioan
Really appreciate your very helpful reply - diolch yn fawr iawn