Farmers forced to cull endangered ponies

[Still Waters]

Farmers say they have been forced to cull Exmoor ponies because of delays obtaining paperwork proving their pedigree.

The ponies are listed as endangered by the Rare Breed Survival Trust and require a "passport" from the Exmoor Pony Society to be sold.

Not only does the passport increase the animal's value when sold on, it also enables them to attend shows.

Some breeders claim they have waited months for the paperwork to be issued and can't afford to keep the ponies for that length of time.

https://news.sky.com/story/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies-over-passport-delay-11266631

[Grandpa Greenman]

Cull as in kill,  

[LV-426]

Something doesn't sit right about this article for me, particularly the use of the word "cull".

Generally, when talking about animal culling, you're talking about killing them to control the population, protect farming areas, etc. I didn't read anywhere in the article about the ponies being killed?

The more general use of the word is much more vague; choose; select; pick.

Regardless, "culling" an endangered breed is just plain wrong, whether its down to bureaucratic paperwork or financial concerns

[Still Waters]

28 minutes ago, LV-426 said:

Something doesn't sit right about this article for me, particularly the use of the word "cull".

Generally, when talking about animal culling, you're talking about killing them to control the population, protect farming areas, etc. I didn't read anywhere in the article about the ponies being killed?

They're using the word "culled".

Quote

Mr Floyd, whose family have bred Exmoor ponies in Devon for decades said "some people have culled [the ponies]".

"We have had to in the past. It is the last resort. Paperwork is the first resort.

https://news.sky.com/story/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies-over-passport-delay-11266631

[Still Waters]

There's a video in this link with one of the breeders talking about the problem.

 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/video/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies/vi-BBJyb7H

[+ouija ouija]

I'm not sure why the farmers can't make money out of them. They are a very pretty breed and nice natured ...... a perfect child's pony. The fact that they are fairly rare should mean that they can ask a higher price for them.

The usual reason for culling ponies is the cost of feeding them through the winter, but these are native hill ponies, for goodness sake! They should need very little in the way of extra food and only when their grazing is covered in snow. In the article there's a photo of the ponies eating hay in a barn .... this is totally unnecessary.

[Piney]

7 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

They're using the word "culled".

Generally when the BLM uses this term they shoot things from helicopters....

This is sad....

[+ouija ouija]

4 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

There's a video in this link with one of the breeders talking about the problem.

 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/video/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies/vi-BBJyb7H

I'm still not understanding what exactly is forcing the owners to cull the ponies.

[Piney]

1 minute ago, ouija ouija said:

I'm not sure why the farmers can't make money out of them. They are a very pretty breed and nice natured ...... a perfect child's pony. The fact that they are fairly rare should mean that they can ask a higher price for them.

The usual reason for culling ponies is the cost of feeding them through the winter, but these are native hill ponies, for goodness sake! They should need very little in the way of extra food and only when their grazing is covered in snow. In the article there's a photo of the ponies eating hay in a barn .... this is totally unnecessary.

My Arabs are all "field kept". I only used hay when there was no grass and put round bales in the field and I dropped corn only when it was really cold for the "heat" carbs.

[Still Waters]

Perhaps the farmers are just looking for publicity in the hope it'll shame the powers that be to get a move on and issue the so called passports quicker.

[Still Waters]

4 minutes ago, ouija ouija said:

I'm still not understanding what exactly is forcing the owners to cull the ponies.

It's because they're claiming they can't afford to keep them.

Quote

Some breeders claim they have waited months for the paperwork to be issued and can't afford to keep the ponies for that length of time.

https://news.sky.com/story/farmers-forced-to-cull-endangered-ponies-over-passport-delay-11266631

 

[+ouija ouija]

As they are a rare breed I can't imagine the owners can just kill them as and when they choose. If the owners are genuinely hard up and can't afford to pay for feed there are plenty of charities that would help out, I'm sure ...... not least the Exmoor Pony Society! Let's not forget, it hasn't been a bad winter so far, weather-wise. Sounds like bad management/greed to me.

Sorry, I must be being really thick here: what is the connection between the passports and the fact that they can't afford to feed the ponies? If they were hoping to have sold the ponies by now, I don't understand why they can't be sold without them. All the details of each pony are already with the body that's issuing the passports so all the owners have to do is give that body the details of the new owners and then when the passport is issued it can go straight to them.   

[Piney]

50 minutes ago, ouija ouija said:

Sounds like bad management/greed to me.

That's how Americans destroyed the Arab breed here and why I imported my boys from the UK and Poland

[Still Waters]

4 hours ago, ouija ouija said:

Sorry, I must be being really thick here: what is the connection between the passports and the fact that they can't afford to feed the ponies? If they were hoping to have sold the ponies by now, I don't understand why they can't be sold without them. All the details of each pony are already with the body that's issuing the passports so all the owners have to do is give that body the details of the new owners and then when the passport is issued it can go straight to them.   

My understanding is: the ponies are worth more when they have a passport. Without the passport the breeders can't ask for their full value when selling on, it's possible the potential buyer also prefers to see the passport first before agreeing to any purchase. 

The Exmoor Pony Society who issues the passports don't seem to get involved, they just do their bit by issuing the passports. However the longer they take to do this the longer the breeders have to wait before they can sell their ponies, that is unless they're willing to sell them at a lower price. So while the breeders are waiting for the passports it's costing them money for extra feed which they claim they can't afford.

Quote

The ponies are listed as endangered by the Rare Breed Survival Trust and require a "passport" from the Exmoor Pony Society to be sold.

Not only does the passport increase the animal's value when sold on, it also enables them to attend shows.

What I don't get is these breeders claim to care for their ponies and yet they're willing to kill them just because they can't get them sold quick enough? or for a 'good price'. If they're hoping to draw attention to 'their plight' then they haven't thought things through too well. I know they have to earn a living but I don't think they'll gain much support while culling their ponies.

[SHaYap]

I suppose the thought of giving them away never occurred to them ?

No I guess not ...

~

[+ouija ouija]

These ponies have survived for centuries out on the moors with no intervention from mankind so I'm sure they can continue to do so. I think there must be two different herds that exist: the wild ones that are left to their own devices on the moors and the pampered, carefully bred ones that are registered and command a good price. The owners are being extremely foolish if they think they are going to get any sympathy for this situation. In Britain, in 2018, there is absolutely NO need for an animal to be killed because the owner can't afford food ...... there is a solution somewhere out there. The owners might even find that they attract the attention of Animal Rights groups.

It occurred to me that the owners might sell to an abattoir partly to get something back on their investment but also, to make the breed even more rare so that they can bump the price up higher for those animals that are left.

I still find it hard to believe that a rare breed can be culled. The owners would have to notify the society the ponies were registered with and give a reason for the deaths.   

[Still Waters]

1 hour ago, ouija ouija said:

I still find it hard to believe that a rare breed can be culled. The owners would have to notify the society the ponies were registered with and give a reason for the deaths.   

I wondered if the breeders had exaggerated the part about the culling, but it does appear to be correct. 

Here's another article I found which also explains more about the passport process, apparently the ponies have to be branded which I didn't know until now.

http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/somerset_news/16014530.Fears_rare_Exmoor_Ponies_could_be_culled_because_of_delays_in_verifying_their_breed/

[+ouija ouija]

Grr! I can't get that link to scroll down. Yes, the ponies would be freeze-branded, probably where the saddle goes so that it wouldn't be seen when in the show ring. This is why I can't understand why they can't be sold now and the papers follow them. It's not as if a 'substandard' pony could be substituted for a good one.

Let's not forget, we're only talking about a handful of animals here ..... 50 maybe? 

[Still Waters]

12 minutes ago, ouija ouija said:

Let's not forget, we're only talking about a handful of animals here ..... 50 maybe? 

The article I linked to says:

Quote

Nigel has been a farmer on Exmoor his entire life and has a quota to keep 70 of the ponies on his 6,000 acres of land.

This year he said 12 extra new foals were born by his mares but he is struggling to sell them - and he blames the Exmoor Pony Society for failing to provide documentation on time.

And he said unless new buyers can be found by next week he would have no option but to have his excess ponies culled.

That article is 10 days old, I wonder if he still has his ponies.