The Heritage of the Hill-Bred Fell Pony Exhibition - Gowbarrow Hall Farm

This exhibition is about the hill farmers and farmers who breed Fell ponies and it will be displaying the ponies way of life on the open fell and the cultural heritage associated with them. The Fell pony breed is under threat of losing habitat and the traditional way of breeding so will lose its breed characteristics and hardiness if not supported by the herds on the fells, these larger herds of ponies are diminishing as the older upland farmers retire. The aim of the exhibition is to bring to the general public an awareness of the Fell pony and the importance of maintaining its presence on the Cumbrian fells. A self-guided farm walk will include a mini-quiz for kids and a chance to see the Gowbarrow Hall Farm Wilderculture regenerative grazing project. Unlike conservation grazing which generally requires low numbers of livestock over large areas, they are using a combination of high density grazing with very long recovery periods (up to 9 months in some areas) and mixed species grazing with cattle, ponies and pigs. Each of the different species of livestock provide their own benefits, including different grazing properties, dung types to feed soil microbes and invertebrates as well as social benefits.

Pre booking for a car space is via the Fell Pony Heritage Trust website https://www.fpht.co.uk/book-online