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Original poster

Culling wild ponies on Dartmoor

103 replies

baerben · 22/06/2026 08:14

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15918295/The-woke-quango-wants-cull-wild-pony-Dartmoor-wont-speak-people-fighting-save-lives.html

AIBU to think this is horrendous? I have no agricultural background but as I understand it Natural England wants to protect bio diversity in the area and avoid overgrazing. Surely there must be a different way?

Revealed: The quango that wants to cull EVERY wild pony on Dartmoor

A dozen or so Dartmoor Hill Ponies are huddled in small groups on the misty moor before us, with tails swishing, nostrils flaring gently and tangled manes blowing in the breeze.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15918295/The-woke-quango-wants-cull-wild-pony-Dartmoor-wont-speak-people-fighting-save-lives.html

OP posts:
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6
crackofdoom · 16/07/2026 08:23

notanothernamechange24 · 16/07/2026 00:29

The trouble with reforesting Dartmoor is that whilst it was temperate rainforest - and indeed parts still are - it hasn’t been so for along time. Consequently there has been soil erosion and so it’s highly debatable whether the moors could now support significant amounts of trees. It’s also a very harsh place for trees to grow. Something like 1% of tree saplings planted on the moors survive despite best efforts primarily due to weather. Sheep and deer also have a big impact on sapling survival but even in fenced areas success growing saplings is poor.

The reality is reforesting would be hugely costly and probably not particularly effective. Efforts are primarily concentrated around increasing current forested areas by planting to expand the woodland.

Moorland itself is an incredibly important habitat itself too. It’s vital for ground nesting birds, insects and our adder population. It needs careful management and we need to tackle the issue of the molinia grass head on. Ideally we need more cattle and ponies for the next few years at least to get it under control. Swaling also is vital to control the fire load on the moors. You only need to look at what happened in north wales this past week to see how quickly and dangerously fire can spread in these temperatures. Having decent firebreaks is essential particularly as the planet warms up.

Ah yes, let's set fire to things to combat global warming 🤔

Trees are regenerating and growing well on Dartmoor wherever grazing (especially with sheep) has been restricted. You can see them marching up the slopes of Yar Tor, the sides of the River Dart Valley, etc etc etc. Vixen Tor is a good example- it's been fenced off for years due to a long running dispute, and within the fence lots of small trees are growing happily.

Lustleigh Cleave is another interesting example- it's now woodland, but until the 1960s it was classic bare moorland. Lustleigh is quite a posh village though, and the people who inherited the commoners' rights had no interest in grazing it, and the woods regenerated naturally. I'd say the natural tree line would probably encompass most of Dartmoor. But they could do with getting rid of all the fucking conifer plantations, which are no good for any ecosystem (and quite flammable too, I would have thought 😬).

But no, unbroken woodland wouldn't be the ideal for the whole of Dartmoor, but neither is the current state of the high moors- basically a bare desert, with very little bird life at all. (Swaling doesn't- or shouldn't- happen on the high moor). Less sheep (and plenty of ponies!) would hopefully create more of an open, mosaic environment.

notanothernamechange24 · 16/07/2026 10:40

crackofdoom · 16/07/2026 08:23

Ah yes, let's set fire to things to combat global warming 🤔

Trees are regenerating and growing well on Dartmoor wherever grazing (especially with sheep) has been restricted. You can see them marching up the slopes of Yar Tor, the sides of the River Dart Valley, etc etc etc. Vixen Tor is a good example- it's been fenced off for years due to a long running dispute, and within the fence lots of small trees are growing happily.

Lustleigh Cleave is another interesting example- it's now woodland, but until the 1960s it was classic bare moorland. Lustleigh is quite a posh village though, and the people who inherited the commoners' rights had no interest in grazing it, and the woods regenerated naturally. I'd say the natural tree line would probably encompass most of Dartmoor. But they could do with getting rid of all the fucking conifer plantations, which are no good for any ecosystem (and quite flammable too, I would have thought 😬).

But no, unbroken woodland wouldn't be the ideal for the whole of Dartmoor, but neither is the current state of the high moors- basically a bare desert, with very little bird life at all. (Swaling doesn't- or shouldn't- happen on the high moor). Less sheep (and plenty of ponies!) would hopefully create more of an open, mosaic environment.

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You just proven my point! The areas you talk about are very sheltered areas of the moor! lustleigh and the river dart valley are exactly that - river valleys. Both incredibly sheltered areas and areas that have benefited from erosion higher up as it settles in the valley. These same with the two Tors you mention. Both are fairly sheltered areas comparatively to much of the wider moors.
These are the areas we should be concentrating on increasing tree planting.

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