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Living the good life: how turning native ponies away has proven beneficial *H&H Plus*

Stephanie Bateman Stephanie Bateman

    • Turning natives away for part of the year not only benefits their mental wellbeing, but also their overall health, discovers Stephanie Bateman

    THE idea of turning a beloved pony out with no rug and no feed through the winter months after a busy season being ridden fills most owners with dread, but some say it’s one of the best things you can do for them.

    New Forest pony breeder Erika Dovey has seen first-hand from watching her father and grandfather the benefits of allowing ponies to live in their natural habitat.

    “One of the many skills I was taught as a commoner was how to use the forest to your advantage, so if we have a pony that is doing too well, we turn it out on the forest and it naturally loses weight,” says Erika, who runs Carterstone Stud.

    This feature can also be read in this week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 6 May

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