What’s better than one new Exmoor pony? Three new Exmoor ponies! We are excited to have welcomed Harry, Honeysuckle and Puffin as the newest members of our Exmoor herd. The three ponies, acquired from the Moorland Mousie Trust, are now at their new home at Rainton Meadows, where they joined Bertie, Wally and Horace.

The question arises, why have we acquired these new stars of conservation grazing? To answer that question, we must find out what conservation grazing is and how we employ it on our reserves. Simply put, conservation grazing is the use of livestock to manage habitats and wildlife for conservation purposes. This technique is particularly important for grassland habitats – a priority for conservation. Since the 1930s, 97% of the country’s meadows are thought to have been lost. This obviously led to a loss of the plants, invertebrates, birds, bats and other species that relied on the meadow habitats. The habitat loss also restricted the movement of species across the landscape, making them more vulnerable to random events - such as severe weather – thus further increasing the pressure on populations and leading to further species loss. This habitat fragmentation is one of the main reasons why climate change is having such a negative impact on our wildlife today.

What is the role of conservation grazing in this?

Grasslands themselves need to be managed, to halt the process of natural succession. Without any form of management, conditions will naturally change over time and grasslands will succeed to scrub and woodland. Grazing and cutting at the right time allows the grasslands to persist by maintaining the conditions that favour grasses and wildflowers.

Historically, natural processes helped to create and retain grassland areas. The role of large herbivores, such as wild cattle and horses, was a vital part of that natural management regime. Those animals are long extinct in Britain; their role and our natural grasslands being overtaken by domestic livestock and farming. Today we use conservation grazing to recreate the natural process, with animals like the Exmoor pony taking the place of wild ponies and horses of the past.

Grazing or cutting?

The main alternative to grazing is cutting the area and removing the arisings after flowers have set seed. Meadow cuts can be an effective method of managing a grassland as it allows the timing, precision and extent of management to be carefully controlled. But cutting requires resources – machinery, fuel and staff time. Cuts are also a more sudden and uniform change, instead of the slower and varied munching of herbivores. Grazing animals also come at a cost, with fencing and water supplies and animal welfare all needing to be taken into account. Grazing must also be carefully monitored and adjusted to suit the weather conditions and prevent poaching (creating areas of bare ground) that can allow less desirable species such as ragwort and thistles to dominate. As with many things in conservation, there is no one method that fits all situations, and habitats need to be carefully assessed to determine the best method to be used.

Different tools for different jobs

With the three new arrivals, Durham Wildlife Trust now owns 14 Exmoor ponies, but these aren’t the only animals we use to manage our sites. Different types of livestock produce different results and suit particular habitats and locations.

Ponies

Ponies like our Exmoors have front-facing teeth, which allow them to graze very close to the ground. Ponies have a strong preference for grasses and will graze the long, coarse grasses that can dominate the sward. If ponies are used in appropriate densities, they will form small latrine areas in which they don’t forage. This grazing pattern can create a varied structural mosaic, allowing a diverse meadow to form. Ponies are very adaptable grazers that can thrive on a range of habitats: they will trample and browse scrubby species like gorse, are comfortable on uneven ground, and are relatively easy to move around various sites. Their hoof prints will open up small pockets of bare ground, creating areas for wildflower seeds to germinate.

Cattle

Cattle will use their tongue to rip and tear vegetation at a height of around 5cm, and are less selective than other types of livestock. This creates a varied sward structure, as with ponies. Their size allows them to trample and break up areas of bracken and bramble, and they will eat some scrub and woodland species, preventing scrub from developing. They will also happily graze lower-quality forage and can be suited to grazing wetter areas, depending on the cattle breed.

Sheep

Finally, sheep can also graze very low to the ground. They are highly selective feeders and will choose young flowers and shoots. Sheep are also much lighter than the two other livestock types and less likely to cause poaching. Sheep grazing has proved to be a useful tool to provide the conditions for meadow restoration. They can be used to graze the sward very low, and the action of their hooves creates enough bare ground to allow flower seeds to contact the soil and germinate.

Conservation grazing is an incredibly important site management tool. Having the right stock, at the right density, at the right time, allows the important grassland habitats the Trust manages to be preserved and enhanced, enabling wildlife to thrive. Our Exmoor ponies are definitely some of the hardest workers in the Durham Wildlife Trust team.