Dartmoor ponies gallop back to help nature thrive at Bedfordshire heathland

  • The ponies have travelled from Devon to Bedfordshire to spend the next few months on the heathland at RSPB The Lodge nature reserve in Sandy.

A group of rare native Dartmoor ponies has returned to graze on a heathland to help nature thrive.

The five animals travelled to RSPB The Lodge nature reserve in Sandy, Bedfordshire from Devon to spend a few months grazing on the heathland.

The ponies 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 Lodge’s heathland provides a haven for species that favour the habitat including rare birds like the Dartford Warbler. Credit: Lesley Cater

The ponies, named Podkin, Pook, Tom, Meldon Princess, and Black Magic are adapted to living on rough terrain and provide beneficial manure for invertebrates to grow.

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."

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