EXMOOR PONY CENTRE OPENS

After some 7 year’s of hard work by local charity The Moorland Mousie Trust, the Exmoor Pony Centre is now open to visitors.

The Centre, which is situated near Winsford Hill in the heart of Exmoor National Park, has been funded by individual donations, two generous grants from The Exmoor Sustainable Development Fund, administered by Exmoor National Park Authority and Defra’s Rural Enterprise Scheme.

Val Sherwin from The Moorland Mousie Trust said: “It has taken a lot of hard work to get the Centre open and we are thrilled to have finally got there. Visitors will be able to meet the rare breed Exmoor Ponies and learn more about them and their environment.

“For those who would like a ride, we are able to offer the chance to meet and handle the ponies and take a ride in glorious countryside, on the breed that knows the terrain better than any other.”

There are several ways to enjoy what the Centre: for those who don’t want to go for a ride, the 1 ½ hour ‘Taster Session’ enables them to spend some time with an Exmoor Pony and learn something of their ways. For the riders there is a range of different rides available in open countryside, booking is essential for these activities, telephone 01398 323093.

The Moorland Mousie Trust also runs a very successful ‘adopt a pony’ scheme where people can sponsor one of the ponies either at the Centre or elsewhere in the county. Many ‘adoptions’ are bought as birthday, christening, Christmas or anniversary presents and the money raised goes towards caring for the pony. The Martin family from South Molton recently visited the Centre so that their daughter Sarah could meet her adopted pony face to face.