Here at Middleton Lakes we would like to welcome our most recent arrivals, a herd of fantastic Konik ponies!
Ok, ok, so those of you in the know will be fully aware that they have been onsite for over a year now, but with the Environment Agency flood defence work happening (more on this soon!), we haven't been able to officially introduce our new arrivals.
So, let us welcome and introduce you to Winston, Poppy, Howard, Ash, Daisy, Nimbus, Bob, Holly, Lychnis, Bert and Daisy!
''Have you heard the one about the Konik ponies'', Daisy laughs at one of my jokes.
So what are Konik ponies?
Konik ponies are a wild breed of horse, the name Konik is Polish for 'little horse' and they originally descend from the breed, Tarpan. This breed originates from Poland and are an extremely hardy breed, making them a fantastic grazing animal. This means that they are great in coping with harsh terrain and difficult weather conditions and able to cope with only a small amount of grazing meaning that when the grass dies down over the winter, they are able to move on to the rushes and the scrub. This means that the regeneration of species like hawthorn and Willow is stemmed, allowing the flowers and grasses that thrive in our meadow to continue to succeed. As a result of this, the ponies will lose condition over the winter and will become thinner, but don't worry, this is a natural part of their life cycle and it keeps them healthy!
Our herd of Konik ponies have been brought in from our friends at National Trust Wicken Fen as a management tool to graze part of our sites that we would struggle to get machinery into. They are currently residing in the Southern meadow and you can get a great view of them from the flood bund footpath that is now open.
Winston, the leader of the herd.
The Konik ponies at Middleton have a strong herd instinct and will often be seen in close proximity to each other. They form tight herds and within this there is always a hierarchy, our leader is Winston. He can be easily identified as he is a large male with a very dark coat.
As a result of them being wild, they aren't used to a lot of human contact so its best to view them from the footpaths but you may see staff and volunteers in with them occasionally, we need to check the health of them every day and we are getting them more used to us for when we move them further afield.
Ash, our young stallion is quite the character and likes to eat most things, we have to keep an eye on our binoculars and tools when we are in the field with them!
So why not come along and take a look at Middleton's 4 legged tractors! While you are walking along the Southern meadow path, look out for Water rail, Cetti's warbler, Kingfishers, Siskins and Redpolls and hundreds of Fieldfares and Redwings that are now making a good dent in the berry stocks!
Excellent Blog