Why Fell Ponies on the fell matter and how Fell Ponies on the fell fit within the breed.
Fell Ponies on the fell are not believed to be genetically distinct from other Fell Ponies.
* See section 4a of David Anthony Murray’s 2013 research (Murray’s research is not currently available on-line).
* A 2007 study of rare bloodlines indicated that most of the rare bloodlines in the breed are outside the upland herds. Click here to read more.
* Another reason that Fells on the fells are not genetically distinct is because non-fell breeders must return to fell herds to retain type, so the fell-bred bloodlines tend to become widely dispersed in the breed. Click here to read more.Since Fell Ponies cannot easily be returned to the fell once they have lived elsewhere, it is likely, then, that Fell Ponies on the fell do have some characteristics that ponies raised elsewhere do not.
* Breeders away from the fells often find it necessary to return to fell-bred herds to retain type. Click here to read more.
* Being hefted is one difference between fell-based ponies and ponies living elsewhere (click here to read more about research related to hefting and Fell Ponies.)
* It is possible Fell Ponies on the fell have different gut microbiomes than Fell Ponies raised elsewhere. Click here to read more.
* While it is not often done, there is some hope for returning ponies to the fells. To read more, click here.Ponies from upland herds are often considered truer to type than ponies bred elsewhere and are therefore important to the Fell Pony breed’s continuity. Click here for a discussion.
While foals born into upland herds have been increasing in number, research indicates that the proportion of fell-bred foals to the total number of registered foals is falling, a troublesome trend. Click here to read the research findings.
The Fell Pony breed deserves recognition for its uniqueness. Its status as a rare breed also makes it worthy of conservation efforts. Fell/upland-bred ponies within the breed play a special role in preserving the breed’s type. They too, then, are deserving of recognition and conservation. That the proportion of fell-bred ponies is dropping in the breed should be a concern to all breed stewards.