ROYAL VISITOR FOR EXMOOR PONY CENTRE

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall, is to visit The Moorland Mousie Trust’s Exmoor Pony Centre at Ashwick, Exmoor National Park, on Thursday 26 March.

During the visit, Her Royal Highness will be introduced to some of the volunteers who help in many aspects of the Centre’s work including those who use Exmoor Ponies for grazing, the fosterers and those who come and help care for the ponies at the Centre. Her Royal Highness, who is a keen equestrian, will also meet some of the four-legged inhabitants of the Centre including a pony called ‘One-eyed Winston’ who has been a long term resident.

There will then be a demonstration of the techniques used by the Trust to handle the young Exmoor colts. This method has been sculpted specifically for handling the young frightened ponies and has been derived from Intelligent Horsemanship practices

Her Royal Highness will also be shown ‘The Music Room’ a small, wooden, disused theatre which has strong connections with the Exmoor ponies having been built in the1920s by Mr Frank Green for his estate workers. Mr Green was known to be quite an eccentric and owned the Exmoor pony herd that roamed on Winsford Hill.

The Moorland Mousie Trust has plans to restore The Music Room and use it for educational purposes when funding allows. While she is there Her Highness will also be introduced to youngsters from The Prince's Trust who have been creating a path to the Music Room.

Val Sherwin, chief executive of the Moorland Mousie Trust said: We are very proud to have a Royal Patron, and honoured that Her Royal Highness is coming to see us. We hope that this helps raise the profile of the Charity and Exmoor in general.”